The Tomoeda Maiden
by Xinliang
Summary: Syaoran's mission was just to train. His plan was never to fall in love with a girl, especially a priestess who was to be married off to another man. Loving her comes with a price, as she was Tomoeda's Maiden.  Full Summary Inside, SxS   ExT! COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1: A Story

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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_Full Summary:_

_Syaoran Li had to go on a pilgrimage to Tomoeda to do his training. Little did he know that there was more in store for him in store in Tomoeda. Syaoran was just there to train; but there he was falling in love with the Tomoeda Maiden, also known as Sakura Kinomoto, a priestess who was to be married to someone else. Although it seems that meeting her was a coincidence... was it really?_

**Chapter I: A Story**

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Every village had some sort of folklore – some kind of a myth, a fable … but in the end it was just a story. A story that was exclusive to that one village only. These stories could be anything from heroic epics, to a horror story or stories meant to teach children the value of morality. Whatever it was, it was exclusive to the village's history and culture.

In the town of Tomoeda, there had been one particular story that everyone in the village knew. From small children to the very elderly, the story was consistently the same. Some people from other villages even knew about Tomoeda's folklore and the paranormal occurances that frequently surrounded the village. However, this one story is the one that people knew very well, almost like it had applied to their everyday lives.

This story was the story of the Tomoeda Maiden. Everyone knew about the Tomoeda Maiden. The story wasn't one that was of fiction – but a recollection of what people had seen. The description of this maiden was consistent: she was a young woman with pale glowing skin, shoulder length auburn hair and the greenest eyes anyone had ever seen. When people had seen this woman lingering around, an overwhelming scent of flowers would fill the air, even though no flowers were seen within the area. Added to that, many would report that they'd seen flashes of glowing light when it would be pitch black. This would often occur in the night, right near the ruins of Tomoeda which had been abandoned many years ago. No one dared step inside the ruins because everyone was taught not to go near it, but inevitably, to go anywhere outside of Tomoeda one must pass by those ruins. There, they'd see her.

People say they had seen her once – but never more than once. When they laid their eyes on her, the young woman would start running away, and the flashes of light would begin. Afterwards, it was as if she were never there and the floral scent would just disappear.

However, as interesting it all sounded – I didn't believe any of it. People here were crazy. Back home, none of these ghastly or paranormal folklores existed. Everything was focused on real things; like heroism and actual values. Moral values. Not stories that instilled fear into people. It was a load of crock, for a lack of a better word.

I'm Syaoran Li. I'm 22 years old and I'm obviously not from this place, but from a country far away. I'm a prince that had been sent here to do some training, under the insistence of my mother, the Queen. In our kingdom, in order to become heir to the throne, one must go through a 3 year pilgrimage and journey to Tomoeda, a place that is famous for it's spiritual energy. People who came to make a journey here would often become acolytes or high priests, but others came here to hone their magic skills as well. Despite it's reputation, Tomoeda was not as technologically advanced as other cities and was fairly behind in the times.

I had written to my mother many times. Often telling her how I couldn't wait to come home, how my days were, how my magical energy and spiritual energy had improved, and also exchanging questions. My mother had also made a pilgrimage here herself at my age, as she was heir to the throne too once upon a time. She often sent me words of encouragement about my situation, but she knew I loathed being here. She told me to have faith.

Faith was something I lacked severely.

"Young Master?" Wei entered the room. I was sitting in my chair, looking outside the window. It was early in the morning but the view from up here was nice. I could see the sun rise and it would remind me of home. Though the places were different, we shared the same sun.

"Yes?" I did not turn my head but continued to watch the sky. This was one of the things that I had enjoyed doing, since there wasn't much to do here in Tomoeda for leisure.

"Is there anything you need today?" He asked. This was the routine everyday. I appreciated Wei, but I did not like having a servant doing everything for me. He was more like a father figure than a servant. Some would say I was being too nice – but I had no intention of bossing anyone around.

"You know I don't need anything." My voice was calm, just to show I wasn't angry with him. Which he thought because I had always rejected his offers of serving me. "Please do as you like."

He bowed without saying a word and left. I was finally alone again.

It seemed today was going to be another boring day. Then I realized, a lot of things would change when within a few hours someone came knocking at my door…

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**Authors Note:**

Hello! I'm not really familiar with making authors notes but here's my jab at it. So hi, this is probably my first fanfiction written since I was in middle school. I'm in University now and I have rediscovered my love for CCS again, and decided to re-write this piece of work. I had originally written it in 3rd person but I am horrible at it and decided to stick to my guns in 1st person. You may see that the story progression is a bit slow, but I planned many chapters and an elaborate plot for this story. It's not a typical romance story - that's all I'm going to say. I've never really written anything in fantasy so this is my jab at it as well.

This story will include most of the main CCS cast as well. This story is primarily a Syaoran and Sakura fanfiction.

Anyway, if you're reading this, thank you. I have written already 10 chapters more to this story, but I would really like if readers who like this story write reviews! It really helps with morale and all. But I won't base my completion of the story on reviews - it's just nice, that's all.

Anyway if you have any questions please write it in the reviews!

~ X.


	2. Chapter 2: Unexpected Teacher

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter II: Unexpected Teacher**

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Several repetitive knocks were heard through my door. Each exactly 5 seconds apart. It was a Saturday evening, and Saturday has always been my day to relax from training since Tomoeda. Which meant no one bothered me, and no human contact – aside from Wei and people I'd pass by in the village.

Annoyed, I opened the door to find a man being the source of the knocks.

"Hello." He smiled. He seemed content and I don't think he realized that not only was he bothering me, but he didn't seem to take notice I was clearly annoyed. It said it all in my facial expression.

"What do you want?" I did not care to greet him properly – he was bothering THE Prince of Heung Gong? Even though international affairs had remained separate throughout the years, people would still know the royal family of each kingdom or country. People in Tomoeda knew I was the Prince of Heung Gong, but clearly this man didn't because he was trespassing on private property and everyone in town knew not to bother me with nonsense on Saturdays.

Despite my annoyance and rudeness, he remained calm and chipper. "I presume you are Syaoran Li of Heung Gong?" He adjusted his glasses to get a better look at me.

You could tell from looking at him he was not from where I was from, but he also did not look like he came from Tomoeda either. People in Tomoeda had a distinct look to them – I could not articulate it in words, but it was for certain neither I or this man standing right here were from this place. He had extremely pale skin, as if he never ventured outside, really dark black hair that would appear blue under certain lighting, and really blue eyes.

"Uh. Yeah." I responded. "Who are you and what do you want?" I was annoyed he still didn't tell me what he wanted. I just wanted him to say what he was going to say and then I could kick him off the property. Technically I could kick him off the property, but my royal background kicked in – one must be polite to people, despite how much they annoy you.

"I'm Eriol Hiiragizawa." He said as a matter-of-factly, "I'm here today because I was sent here by your mother, Yelan."

"My mother never told me of any Eriol Heragizwawa…" I rolled my eyes. I was ready to close my door. Another beggar? Another idiot? Could people just leave me alone?

He didn't budge and his facial expression did not change either. He continued on, "Anyway, Prince Syaoran Li, I've been sent here by the Queen because she had written to me about how you needed a spiritual master. Someone who will help you with your training."

I took a good look at him. He was about my age, my height and he was scrawny compared to me. I wanted to laugh. _This guy_ was going to be my spiritual master? Is he lying or is my mom deliriously insane?

"Uh huh." I looked at him in disbelief. He took note of this and took out a letter from his satchel. It was neatly preserved from what I saw. He carefully unwrapped the letter and showed it to me. Sure enough, it was the same writing as my mother's and it even had the official Heung Gong seal. I didn't really read the contents of the letter, except the part where my mother had indeed requested him to come and teach me how to channel and use the spiritual energy and magical energy.

Truth be told, I was actually awaiting a spiritual master to come. My mother had mentioned it a few times in her letters. Since Tomoeda was in such an obscure place, it was really a lengthy and difficult journey to get here. I had sympathy with Eriol I suppose – I was waiting for months for that said person to come. Now that he was right in front of me I was unsure and to be honest, not impressed. I was expecting an older man … not a young man like him.

I stepped out of the way so Eriol could enter my home. He bowed and thanked me and entered. The way he spoke, walked and talked had much more elegance than I could ever have – and I was of royal blood.

We walked through the hallways in silence, until we got into the study. I had urged him to sit down and I called Wei over to get us some food and tea. Within minutes, he returned with what I had requested. Wei left the room and left Eriol and I in silence.

However, Eriol broke the silence, "I can tell that you are doubtful but I am the person your mother had requested for. You see, I met your mother many years before…"

Many years before? This guy was my age or barely my age. He has to be some prodigy to have met my mother after so many years. If my mother had met him then he must be the real deal.

"Where are you from?" I finally broke my silence. Who was he? Where was he from? Why him? How could he easily meet my mother, when Heung Gong is so far from here as well? He couldn't be from Tomoeda. I knew he couldn't be.

"I'm from somewhere…" He was trying to think of what to say. He continued after a brief pause, "… I suppose you can say I'm from somewhere far away from here."

Oh, because _that_ totally answers my question. I didn't want to ask too many questions or even talk. I was tapping my fingers onto the table, a habit I had when I was clearly annoyed. Of course … either this guy didn't know how to take a hint or he was ignoring me.

"Where I'm from isn't important, Prince Li. What's important is that we start your spiritual training as soon as possible."

"Uh huh. I don't want to start tonight." I know I was acting like a spoiled prince, but damn it, I literally work my butt off when I'm training. I constantly practice sword fighting, channeling some magic I do know, and I had to keep my physique in tip-top shape.

He ignored me again. He just had that calm, happy expression. He was looking at his tea cup- but I could tell he was thinking about something else. "Tell me, Prince Li, do you _believe_?"

"Believe in what?"

"Faith. Do you have faith?" His expression finally changed. His eyes went from it's calm appearance to a serious one. "Do you believe in a higher power? In a higher plane? Somewhere beyond?"

"No." I took no time to respond. Ghosts, spirits, the afterlife was all rubbish. When people die, they remain in the ground.

"I see…" His eyes reverted back to its calm state. "How do you feel about life? About your destiny as a prince?"

"There's no evidence. No science behind it. There is no such thing as fate or destiny… or a coincidence. Everything just happens. It starts, it happens, then life finishes. That's all it is to it." I was passionate about this. I almost seemed like I was exerting such arrogance into my words – but it was the truth that came from my heart. To think that something else exists from our reality is just foolish.

"I see." He took a long sip of his tea. "To have spiritual powers… you must believe. You have to. As a future King, you need your people to believe in you too."

"They can, without some divine intervention." I rolled my eyes.

"I cannot change your views right away, but I want you to have an open mind. Maybe your views will change and maybe not. My job here is to enhance your magical and spiritual powers. The strongest magicians have faith."

I didn't respond to him because I had nothing to say. I thought what he was saying was ludicrous.

He continued with a light chuckle, "It must be difficult for you to have these views whilst living in Tomoeda. It's not a place for pilgrimage for a reason, you know."

I shrugged in response. "It's not that difficult. Or even awkward. I'm barely out and about in town, if only to do errands."

"Prince Li, what I want you to do is investigate something for me as your first assignment." He was suddenly serious. His posture stiffened. His voice rose slightly. His youthful aura disappeared and was instead replaced by a dominant one. Like a master. I didn't want to admit it, but I felt his energy change drastically.

I leaned in closer to listen attentively. Even if he was just someone my age, even if he was just someone I'd scoff at – this was my mother's wish. He has my mother's confidence and if I had any faith at all, it would be my mother's taste. She is one of the strongest magicians I've ever known in my life – and if she trusts this guy to teach me, then I will comply with it.

"I want you to check out the Tomoeda ruins."

"That's it?" I walked by it almost everyday. There was an area near the ruins that was a good isolated training spot.

He nodded. "I want you to feel the place. Get to know it a bit. Despite what everyone in this town says – they do want to stray away from it. But there's an energy there that I want you to feel. I want you to look around – but don't stray too far. Tell me your findings." He stood up. "That's it."

I nodded. "Alright." Ha! Going to a stupid pile of rubble. It was a piece of cake.

"Do go at night though." He started to walk away. "Nice meeting you, Prince Li. Have a good evening. Report your findings to me as soon as possible. I live not far from the Tomoeda temple. It's the only home out there." He smiled.

Soon he was out of my line of vision. Then I heard the door slam shut. He was gone. I had to do my assignment soon enough, but today I felt like relaxing.

Who was this Eriol guy, and was he really going to help me?

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**Authors Note:**

When writing this story I decided not to use the "-chans" or "-kuns" in the Japanese naming system. I did not really intend to set it on 'our world' where we actually have 'Japanese' and 'Chinese'. In this fantasy realm I created, Chinese or Japanese does not exist, neither does Japan or Hong Kong. I've made slight allusions to these cultures, but by no means did I implicate these characters or the settings were set in either Japan or Hong Kong.

The Vocabulary I suppose for this chapter would have to be "Heung Gong". It's actually 'Hong Kong' but spelt phonetically.

Anyway, enjoy this next chapter. Please R&R! :)


	3. Chapter 3: Out in the Night

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter III: Out in the Night**

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Despite telling myself to do my 'spiritual assignment' soon, I procrastinated. I prioritized my physical and combative training first before practicing the other stuff. Soon enough, 2 weeks had passed since my last meeting with Eriol. What was funny was he never bothered to keep in touch. I suppose he was a really relaxed master.

I wrote letters to my mother about this Eriol fellow and I got positive responses. My mother wrote fondly of him – as if she knew him for a long, long time. I found it bizarre because Eriol didn't look as old as I would imagine, but my mother knew him well enough. Her positivity was enough to convince me he was the real deal. She urged me to improve and she told me that there was more to life than improving my sword skills and physique. I did not get further letters afterwards.

"Where are you going, Prince Syaoran?" Wei followed after me. "It is getting dark. If you want me to do errands, please don't hesitate to ask." Wei knew I was fiercly independent, but it didn't stop him from asking and urging that _he _do whatever I needed to do.

"Just do as you like an relax. I'm going out to town." I opened the door slowly. "It's nice out. Why don't you enjoy the rest of your evening?"

"You work too hard, Prince Syaoran. Don't overwork yourself."

"Thank you for your concern." I shut the door behind me.

I made my way through town. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed my little evening stroll. I normally don't go out to town except to do training and my own little errands. Actually going through town as a leisurely activity instead of a mandatory one was nice. The little lights that illuminated the town, the paper lanterns, the intricate foliage spread throughout Tomoeda was nice indeed. Crickets were chirping and fireflies were buzzing through the air, creating a soft light through the evening sky.

Back in Heung Gong I could not really go out through town without common citizens fighting and shoving to have a word with me. Consequently I had to stay in the palace to avoid people. I disliked people and talking to too many folk – I am friendly, but I enjoy my own privacy. Living in a palace with several servants … I was surrounded by people constantly. Whether I was at home or out to have a quiet stroll through town, I was always surrounded by people.

Though some people knew of my lineage in Tomoeda, not many did. At least not the commoners knew. As a result I could walk around town without many noticing me. Surely there were people who noticed because of my clothing and appearance, but never about me being a prince. There were so many people who came to Tomoeda who are not a native from the village that the people who lived there were used to seeing people come and go.

I enjoyed my stroll. I got to go to stalls and buy street food, rather than having myself or Wei prepare a meal. Food in Tomoeda was considerably different than Heung Gong but nonetheless it was delicious. To my surprise I was having _fun_. I never went out to just go out to town. This was a rare treat.

I got to see local architecture. The library here was smaller than Heung Gong but was beautiful in it's own way. Our library back home was a huge building with many pagodas. There's at least a million books and scrolls in the library. The one in Tomoeda was alright, and consisted more of recent local history and folklore stories than actual material. I must admit I am an avid reader – and when I wanted to avoid going out of my room back in the palace, I'd read many books.

There were numerous churches and temples in Tomoeda. They were amongst one of the beautiful buildings I've ever seen. One temple was a huge white castle, complete with a beautiful yard and many topiaries and flowers. I could see it easily because of the lights that daintily covered the village. Lights surrounded each temple and church, which allowed one to view the beauty of each structure.

There were many places I have yet to stumble upon, but tonight I grew to appreciate this place. Even if I don't like it. I guess I have to learn how to adapt and like this place if I plan to train here for a while.

I ended up near the outskirts of the village. From here, I could see the ruins. Suddenly I remembered that I had go there soon. Though there were no guards guarding the place or openly prohibiting people to go there, it was just an unspoken moral code that no one should visit there because of the negative energy or the elusive Tomoeda Maiden would pop out and eat the souls of those who dare go there.

This did not scare me but I did not care for this whole maiden brouhaha anyway. I had no motivation or curiousity to actually see for myself. Though today was a different circumstance. I was already out of the house and the ruins were _right there_. It's as if it were screaming, "Syaoran, come and get it, you coward!"

I walked slowly to the ruins. The route towards the exit of the village was just as pleasing to the eyes as the entrance of the village. Banners and balloons were all strung up the town. There was a festival approaching to celebrate the first King of Tomoeda who conquered the town from evil people – I don't know the whole history – but it's some huge ordeal. Tomoeda wasn't purely just for magicians or monks or priests who wanted to improve their powers, but it was a place where citizens thrived and history was present. It was like any other place. Heung Gong too had festivals celebrating the birth of the country and the monarchy.

When there were no more balloons or streamers in sight, I knew I was out of Tomoeda. If that wasn't a clue, the ruins marbled remains lay there for everyone to see. It was dark, but not too dark. The fireflies lit up the place and as did the stars and the moon.

I walked towards the ruins, going to the area that appeared to be once a proud arch that seemed to be an entrance. It was in a state of rubble. I walked in the entrance and I would report what I would find to Eriol. It was going to be a piece of cake.

I walked through the piles of rubble and buildings that once were… well, buildings. I did not know what had happened here, but there were traces of burnt wood and burn marks around the place. There were weapons laid out – most rusted or broken. Even though I didn't know what happened here, it was a bloody and sad place.

After walking around a bit, I heard a noise. The sound of a woman singing.

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**Authors Note:**

Ahh, yes, I know a lot of people who read SxS fanfiction want to go straight to the point right away and might be frustrated my story goes on slowly. I am doing this for realism ... and also, to have an interesting plot. I'm not spoiling anything at this point, but please do not be disappointed if I don't go straight to the fluffy bits. I am willing to sacrifice some romance for plotline.

Please R&R. :)


	4. Chapter 4: She Runs

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter IV: She runs**

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I was trying to find the source of the voice that I heard. Further along the visible ruins you could see from the front, there was a destroyed but small entrance along the side. I heard the noise get slightly louder as I followed this route. After what seemed like endless piles of rubble, I found myself in a more open area.

The buildings from this view weren't all destroyed, but some were showing obvious signs of decay. The buildings and statues had moss on them and the grass was getting noticeably long. Under the grass was some cobblestone paths that were crumbling down, but were still useable.

The noise died down a bit as I walked further along this cobblestone path. From here I could see more of the ruins and the architecture of this place. It was peaceful yet sad at the same time. These buildings that stood proudly once upon a time – was now decaying. Nature was taking back the land that once belonged to it. Some houses and buildings were covered with ivy. The doors on the buildings were completely destroyed, as if someone tried to forcefully barge into the homes.

What amazed me the most was these buildings seemed so surreal. They weren't like the ones in Tomoeda at all. It was as if a different place had drifted along the sea and clung onto this area – a whole new land attached to this one.

As I was admiring the depressing scenery, I suddenly smelled a faint scent of flowers. I knew what that scent was. Back home, there were endless amounts of cherry blossom trees. In the spring time it was a delight; all you could see was pink, the petals would float through the air and you got this whiff that smelled of springtime.

However, this lingering scent became overwhelming. I started to cough. It was like someone spilled their bottle of perfume and didn't clean it up. I looked around frantically to see if there were any flowers in sight – but there wasn't. Only trees: dead or alive. There was only patches of long grass – but no flowers in sight.

Suddenly, there was a breeze that cooled down the summer air. Since there were so many buildings and trees surrounding Tomoeda, wind was barely an issue. This breeze was not bothersome to say the least, but it was peculiar.

There was no sign of life here. I could not for the life of me understand why it was just there. This place – all these abandoned buildings. All the history and effort put into the place. It was completely dead. There was some beauty in this place, despite all the crumbled stone and broken up pieces of wood and stone.

I kept walking. The scent became really strong as I kept walking up ahead. I saw an old rickety bridge. I don't know why I thought it'd be a smart idea to cross the bridge, but I did anyway. It was beat up, that's for sure. The wood was no longer as strong as it used to be, as it creaked when I stepped on it. I am not a heavy person but I felt like I could have broken this bridge due to my weight.

The pond underneath the bridge was covered in lily pads and lotuses. This pond did not look like it was tended to, and there was no sign of life or fish in the pond at all. It seemed bizarre only plants seemed to thrive in this dead place.

On the other side of the bridge, I saw a figure. I took a piece of wood laying on the bridge and cast a fire spell to make a torch. It took a few tries but it was a success. This part of the ruined area was becoming dark – even if the night sky was as bright as it was today.

I squinted to make sure what I saw was real. I blinked a few times to make sure it wasn't just a shadow of a tree or something. Sure enough, what I saw was real. It was a figure in the distance. A figure of a person. I saw the figure wearing a white dress that flowed with the breeze.

"Hello?" I called out. I slowly walked towards the figure and then I stopped. The person was looking out at the pond longingly, but she spoke no words.

I took a few more steps towards her. "Hello? Miss? What are you doing here?"

She suddenly jumped up as if I startled her. She looked over to me with a scared expression as her eyes widened. I saw her eyes – which was the scary part. They were an impressive green colour I had never seen around before. Her skin was glowing, but it may have been the moon's rays shining on her.

She took a few steps back. The breeze suddenly got stronger, developing into a small wind. Fireflies seemed to gather around this person, which gave her a nice glow. The floral scent got stronger, but not as unbearable as before.

Was this the maiden… no, the ghost everyone was talking about in their silly little fables? The Tomoeda Maiden? It couldn't be because ghosts did not exist. She was just some girl who hung around here and scared people. I'm sure of it. The buildings here look like someone could live here – it couldn't be totally abandoned. Perhaps she was a witch?

"Are you… that Tomoeda Maiden that everyone has been talking about?" I approached her. She stepped back again. Suddenly, she ran. Of course I ran after her. It felt like a tedious game of cat and mouse. I was not tired in the least, but perhaps I could tire her out.

"You know… you should stop scaring the people of Tomoeda!" I yelled. I know it wasn't my affair as Tomoeda was not even my kingdom, but heck, she was causing unnecessary fear towards the citizens. She was just some girl in a white dress!

She ran faster and faster away from me. I was surprised she could sprint this fast. Suddenly, the wind became a violent gale. It was hindering me a bit, but not enough for me to catch up to her. She ran into what seemed to be a destroyed temple. I followed her in.

She seemed to have escaped my field of vision. I could no longer see her, and it was pitch black. I had thrown out my torch after I started running after her. There was no wood in this building at all. There was only rubble and big pieces of stone. There weren't even any fireflies to help me out. It was a pitch dark place and I only had my hearing and senses to guide me through.

She was nowhere to be found.

I ran to the back of the temple, but I guess I didn't see it coming. I fell into the moat which surrounded the temple. Surprisingly enough the moat was really deep. I felt myself sinking as my body tensed up and froze.

This can't he happening. I tried to move my arms around but to no avail. I was struggling – I was like one of the rocks which sunk hopelessly to the bottom. I tried to catch my breath but I started to sink. Not even my magic could save me.

Death seemed inevitable.

I was gonna die over this stupid assignment, and I didn't even have a chance to reign as a king.

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**Authors Note:**

Ooooh. Their first encounter! Haha. Not totally how you imagined it, right? :P

I mean, wouldn't you run away if some guy started chasing you? Hmm. I know, I know, it's going slow. This story I planned out to be long, so for the amount of time "this" is long, it'll make up later on, I promise!

I've written some chapters already but when I run out, I would like more reviews. I want to know people are reading. :(

Anyway, that's my bit on this chapter. R&R! :D


	5. Chapter 5: Awakening

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter V: Awakening**

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I was certain I was going to die. I was certain I was dead. I did not understand how I could've just sunk to the bottom like that and my body not being able to react.

I knew I was alive when I heard voices. I heard noises. I could not open my eyes and I could not move as my body was in a state of fatigue. I knew though, that I was alive. I didn't want to die – not yet.

It took what seemed like days before I could finally open my eyes. Boy, was I happy when I saw the sunlight for the first time in ages. I had awoken in a room that I was unfamiliar with because it was not my own. I knew because it had eloquent wood detailing on the walls and it was painted in white. Everything – the furniture was white. The only things that weren't were the mosaic of books that stood in the bookshelf and the bed sheets I was laying in. It was like being in some womanly idyllic house that I've seen in fairy tale book.

I looked out the window. I saw a few trees, but from the height I was at, I saw the ocean spread out behind the greenness that came from the trees. This was not Tomoeda because Tomoeda did not have an ocean that close to it's proximity. This was not Heung Gong because Heung Gong was situated on the hills. This was not Pearlside Harbour because the buildings weren't the same as I remembered it.

_Where the hell was I?_

I frantically looked around. Suddenly, I was in a state of panic. As I got up from my bed, a woman walked in the room. She gasped and ran over to me, urging me to lay down. "Lay down, lay down!" She yelled.

I didn't want to fight with this woman. After all, I am in this place. I am alive. Somehow someone had to find me and bring me here. Somehow someone had to take care of me for all this time.

I felt a sharp pain in my body, and I now understood why she told me to lay down. I winced as I sunk back into the bed. I had to give this bed credit though, it was a really soft bed.

"You're awake." The girl smiled. I looked up at her to get a closer view. She had violet coloured eyes and dark black hair. It wasn't jet black, but it was an obvious shade of black. It wasn't like Eriol's black hair which looked blue in the light.

"Where am I?"

"At Ling Shi Island." The girl said. She put her hand on my forehead. "You're not burning up anymore! Finally it's cleared up."

"… Ling Shi what?" I was confused. Where the heck was that? Where was I? I've never heard of a Ling Shi Island in my life. Where IS Ling Shi island and who are these people? How did I get here anyway?

"Sssh." The girl said. "Just rest a bit. I'll fetch you something to eat and drink." The girl left in a hurry and soon I was alone again. I stared up at the ceiling having left to wonder what the heck was going on.

Someone entered the room again, but it wasn't the girl. This time it was a familiar face. I knew from the skin complexion and the hair that it was him. The glasses were also a dead giveaway.

"Prince Li, you're finally awake." He said in an amused tone. "For a moment, we thought we had lost you. Good to see you're alive and breathing." He lightly punched my shoulder and gave off a little laugh. I failed to see the humour in my demise or my situation. I shot a glare at him.

"Where am I, Eriol? I'm pretty sure this isn't Tomoeda." I looked up at him with the same angry expression.

"Didn't Tomoyo tell you? We're in Ling Shi Island." Eriol crossed his arms and then put his finger on his chin. "I told her if you were to ask, she'd tell you."

"I have no idea where Ling Shi Island is." I replied.

"It's an island surrounded by water." He said as a matter-of-factly. Yes, I'm no idiot, islands are mostly surrounded by water. With his amused face, he seemed to be toying with my mind. I did not want to continue on with this ridiculous charade. I am a prince and I know my boundaries. I was not to be treated this way by some guy who calls himself a master! He is acting more like a foolish commoner than a wise master who's supposed to teach me all there is to spiritual magic.

"How did I get here?"

"I found you laying on the ground in bad condition. You were all beat up and bruised up, and you were pretty much in a life or death situation." He sat on the bed side. "You've been unconscious for months in a state of comatose. Your bones were broken and it was just a disaster."

I thought about what he said for a moment. He said he had found me on the ground, unconscious. It didn't make sense to me at all. I remember falling into the moat and drowning. I knew how it felt like to have water fill up my lungs and the feeling of being suffocated by water. I knew because it happened. Yet Eriol here was telling me a completely different story.

What wasn't answered was why I was here on Ling Shi Island. Why was I here and not Tomoeda? Why wasn't I at my house with Wei? Why hadn't my mother contacted me through letters for all these months? Things did not add up at all.

I wanted to ask why I was here but the words could not escape my mouth. I then looked down and saw my chest was wrapped up in bandages. I could not feel the pain, but once I moved it felt like a painful jolt rushed through my body.

Before I fell asleep, Eriol told me that Ling Shi Island was far away from everyone and everything. He said that it took weeks to get here by boat from Pearlside Harbour, the harbour that people needed to cross to go from Heung Gong to Tomoeda. Ling Shi an isolated island that only ferries could take you in and out. I did not understand how that was even possible, but fatigue soon took over and I felt my eyes get heavy. Before you know it, I fell asleep. To Eriol's voice, nonetheless.

x x x

It would take me another day before I woke up. At least that's what Tomoyo told me. She told me I was sleeping like a little baby. Then she laughed about it. Of course I was annoyed because I wasn't used to people talking to me like that. Especially complete strangers I had just met. Truth be told, I am grateful for what Eriol and Tomoyo had done for me since my incident. I probably would not be alive if it weren't for them.

Eriol casted some weird spell on me and soon I felt better. It felt like a jolt of positive, happy energy had been blasted into my system. The pain was no longer unbearable and I could sit up, stand up and act like a normal human being again. Of course, I had to eat weird herbal concoctions Tomoyo conjured up for me. She said it would make me feel 'as good as new.' You know what? It did. I felt like I could run around and start smashing things with my sword.

In reality it wasn't like that. I would stay in this huge home that I had been confined to since my arrival here in Ling Shi. It was a huge, grand house, bigger than the one I stayed in at Tomoeda. There were multiple doors and rooms, one could easily get lost if walking around in it.

I was then told it was Eriol's actual home. I never got to see every single room, but I did get to see the lavatories, the dining hall, the kitchen, the living room and Eriol's personal library. It even made me envious – my library back in our palace wasn't comparable to Eriol's vast collection.

I didn't get to go outside, only because Tomoyo and Eriol told me that I wasn't well enough to. I may be stubborn, but I know that you should not refuse the words of a skilled magician or doctor. The only glimpse of the outside world I got was from the huge windows of this house. I was lucky that I could still smell the fresh air wafting in. Never had I smelled a scent so wonderful.

As soon as I got better, Tomoyo remarked that my hair got too long. I didn't believe her, but the evidence was clear as soon as I looked in the mirror. My brown hair and grown quite a bit since I remembered – long enough to be put into a small ponytail. I had longed for my messy, short brown hair. Luckily for me, Tomoyo knew how to cut hair as well. I was back to my… dare I say it? Charming good looks. I don't mean to be arrogant but I know that I'm good looking. Royal children always look quite handsome.

As I stayed in this house for a week, I had gotten pretty familiar with Tomoyo and Eriol. Eriol no longer called me "Prince Li" because I found it too weird. I knew I was the Prince and the heir to the Heung Gong throne, but I did not want to be called that constantly. I told him Syaoran would suffice. Actually, I told both of them.

Even though we were familiar with each other I didn't know much about them. Though I never really bothered to. I was never a social person, and even though they had saved my life I would not change the way I interact with people. I was happy they didn't really push that matter, which made me like them more. Except Eriol sometimes got a bit irritating.

"Syaoran." Eriol walked in my room. "I can see you're feeling better."

I nodded. "Yeah, thanks for your help and the medicine."

I was ready to go home. That's for sure. Though I knew I could never return to Heung Gong until I was ready. In that case, I just wanted to be in Tomoeda to continue my training. I hadn't brought it up to Eriol until today. So I asked.

"I want to return to Tomoeda." I said firmly.

"So you do, huh?" Eriol rubbed his chin. "That simply won't do." He stated this calmly without malice. I wanted to think this was some kind of joke, but since I knew Eriol by now I knew he was dead serious; even if he had that sheepish look on his face.

"What? Why not?" I was getting annoyed. I mean, why couldn't I go back to Tomoeda?

"Because the ferries aren't here."

"… Well, when do they come back? I want to head off as soon as possible." I was anxious to leave. I was grateful for this hospitality but as I'd hate to admit it… I missed Wei. I wanted to do my training and get it over with. Besides, Eriol told my mother he'd train me. Not in Ling Shi, but in Tomoeda!

"I'm afraid I don't know. Although I live here, even I don't know when the ferries come. They come and go whenever. At any time of the day." He smiled.

"You mean to say… it's random."

"Yes. You never know if it will come tomorrow or today or next year. You'll have to pick your luck at it."

When I heard that, I thought it was some kind of sick joke. How does a citizen of this place get out into the world? How could someone with so much influence like Eriol not know when a boat will come and pick us up?

"How the heck did we get here then?"

"Out of luck, I suppose. I'm sorry Syaoran, but for now we'll have to stay here. You can visit the ferry dock all the time, and maybe you might just catch one if you want to go back to Tomoeda."

That's just great.

"We can start training here if you'd like." He said. "Not many people know it, but this place…" he paused. He had a mischievous look in his eyes and it was bothering me. He continued, "it's full of spiritual energy all around. Even moreso than Tomoeda."

"Then why do people make pilgrimages to Tomoeda instead of this place?" I was genuinely curious. If this place was SO great, why didn't mother tell me about it and why didn't she come train here in her youth? How come I hadn't even heard about this place?

"Not many people know. You should already know how difficult of a trek it is to come here back and forth. It's an opportunity not many people get to have. Which is a shame."

I rolled my eyes.

"Why don't you take a look around for yourself? Get acquainted with the place. I can send Tomoyo with you if you want."

I didn't like people hanging around when I wanted to explore. I told him I didn't want Tomoyo around and I was going by myself. Within a few minutes, I was headed out the door to yet another unfamiliar place.

x x x x

I had never been so happy to step outside until today. Fresh air from the windows did not compare to being outside, out in the open, with as much fresh air that I could fill my lungs up with. It felt good.

The air in this place wasn't what I had expected it to be. It was in the ocean, but it smelled like flowers. Then I turned around and saw that the whole town was adorned with cherry blossom trees and other fruit trees. Not only that, but it had so many flowers and topiaries out and about decorating the place that it made Tomoeda looked bad.

If only my home kingdom put such effort into landscaping.

There were people walking around the town. But unlike Tomoeda, they all seemed to look at me strangely. There were sounds of whispers that filled the air. Perhaps they were talking about how handsome I was? Or who I was? I had no idea. With gossip, I figured that it's better to ignore it than to get into it. That goes with other gossip that didn't personally concern me as well.

One thing I remarked here was that the roads were cobblestone. It wasn't beat up or ancient like I had seen in the ruins, but it looked like it was brand new. The place itself was _like_ a fairytale town. It had no pagodas like back home. Neither was it completely surrounded by tall, ancient trees. The houses and buildings here were made of painted wood or marble, or a combination of the two. It's actually really hard to explain. The houses weren't dark or dreary but always had brighter or light colours, with white accents around them. Almost every property, whether it be residential or not had eloquent landscapes and gardens. Everyone here took care of the homes, buildings and roads. It was something unlike I had ever seen.

In the centre of this strange town there was a fountain that everyone gathered around. No one swam in the fountain, but just sat around it and chattered and got on with their day. It was lively – there were always food stalls and little kiosks set up in the street. There was laughter and just a sheer abundance of happiness. It was strange, but at the same time I had no problem warming up to this idea of a happy utopia.

After talking to some townspeople I gathered that there was no monarchy or any kind of royal kingdomship here, but it was ruled by a group of high priests. A high priest is somewhat like someone like Eriol, except they devoted their beings to a higher power and used their powers for good – so they say anyway. The high priest temple was way out of the village centre, but on a hillside on the island where it overlooked the village. From down below, you could see it proudly up in it's glory. It looked similar to the temple in Tomoeda, but with a lot more prestige about it.

I sat down on a bench and watched as some children played.

I happened to hear the children gossip, "Did you hear that the high priestess' daughter ran away?" One said.

"That's old news! She ran away a long time ago. But I doubt she got far from here… mommy said so anyway." The other said.

The third child responded, "Maybe she got on the ferry and left!"

I suppose in this supposed idyllic place, there was trouble brewing underneath the surface. The high priests' daughter was gone missing. For some reason it struck to me, but I didn't understand why.

When I walked through the small village, I ended outside the village. To my surprise, it was still neatly decorated as if I were still in the village. Beautiful flowers lined up neatly by colour, trees lined up in an orderly manner and branches that were pruned nicely.

What I saw next would surprise me.

The girl who I saw in the ruins was standing a few metres away from me. She was leaning against a tree, facing the ocean with a blank expression. If not blank, I guess a sad expression as well. She was wearing the same white dress I had seen her wear when I chased after her.

It couldn't be another girl. It had to be her.

I had to get close to her. I had to decide whether to come and talk to her or try to find a way to look at her eyes without her noticing me. They were 2 different ideas with different outcomes, though there was one common possibility that could happen. She could get startled, again, and run away from me… again. Did I want to take that chance?

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**Authors note:**

Yay, Syaoran finally woke up! Hm. But he's in a different place now... how could that be?

A few notes for this chapter, first of all, it's 3 chapters combined into chapter 5. They were originally separate but decided to combine them because it was relevant to each other. So that's a plus! Secondly, "Ling Shi" is translated to as "other world/generation/age/era/lifetime"... take it as you will, but that is what it means. Everything will come into place in the later chapters, so here's some foreshadowing for you.

This is really fun to write, you can see I update daily despite my work schedule. I'd really appreciate reviews to keep going! Even though I have few right now, it still gives me motivation to write.


	6. Chapter 6: Slumber

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter VI: Slumber**

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I was hiding behind the trees trying to get a closer look at her. I was hesitant. I just had to talk to her. To see if it was the same girl that was at the ruins.

Seeing as Ling Shi was so far from Tomoeda – not to mention the ruins, it was very unlikely. It would be pure coincidence that the same girl would wind up on Ling Shi island. In such an obscure place, in an obscure location – what were the chances that the very same girl would end up where I was?

Then again, Eriol was here too. But he was the reason why I was in this place in the first place.

The girl broke her trancelike gaze from the water. She stayed in place for a few moments, but soon after she slowly started to walk away. Of all the time I spent thinking on where she came from and why, I could've just spoken to her and gotten my answers myself.

I was not going to miss my chance. She was standing right in front of me. Don't be a coward, Syaoran. She's just a girl after all. She's just a stranger! Surely I'd be used to all the strangers by now anyway. When I'm a King, I know one of my duties would have to be to talk to many strangers. That's just how it was. If there was a time to break my reclusiveness, it would be now.

I took a step forward towards her. Slowly, I crept up and followed her stealthily enough so she wouldn't notice. I'm sure I failed in that aspect because she swiftly turned around; and for that one moment our eyes met each other. Her green eyes widened and the expression on her face – it was that of a scared animal. I knew I had the same girl as last time.

"Wait!"

As soon as I opened my mouth, she bolted so fast that when I blinked, she was gone. She had escaped from me again –- but I won't let her this time. She caught me off guard… and it was dark. She did not have those advantages to her arsenal now. For the sake of my pride, I had to catch her.

I took my compass board out of my bag. I knew that one day, carrying this dreaded bag would've been handy for something besides carrying my magic tags around. My family's had this compass board for centuries – and I finally got to use it! I flashed it, said the ancient phrase and soon the compass board started to glow. A beam of white light shot out from the small board. I knew instinctively I had to follow that line.

I ran. No, I sprinted. I sprinted after this girl – whoever she was. She can outrun me once, but not twice. I followed the line precisely. I probably ran a great distance away from the main village, because where I was, roads were no longer there. I was led into a large forested area that was just surrounded by small trees and many rocks. It was kind of a pain having through run through it all; but if she could run through this rubble, so could I.

The beam of light eventually stopped. The compass board had led me to a small cave. I knew I had my chance. She was in this cave, and I could finally get her to speak up.

I walked slowly towards the cave while clutching onto my compass board. I could not use it in this cave because I had used up a lot of my energy and magic trying to run after her and getting the board to actually work. I knew I had a bit of energy left to use my compass board as a makeshift torch. Then I could find out where she's hiding.

"You're mine." I smirked. I felt like a lion catching it's prey. I was hungry. This would be my reward.

I closed my eyes and chanted a few more of the ancient phrases my mother had taught me when I was young. She told me that they would come in handy some day. Sure enough, a little ball of flame emerged from the compass board.

I walked in the cave.

**XxXxX**

"Hello?" My voice echoed through the caverns. I took small steps as I trudged forward into the cave. It was quiet, way too quiet. The only noises heard besides my own footsteps was the water dripping from the cave's ceiling. The repetition drove me mad.

I walked aimlessly through the cave. It felt like I spent an eternity walking through this place. It was slowly driving me mad. When I thought I had seen something, it was either a bunch of rocks or sleeping bats.

I think I spent hours in that cave. I _wasted_ hours without a purpose. I wanted to talk to that girl – which enough seemed like a lost cause. What if my compass board was just a piece of junk? What if she's actually outside the cavern, laughing and mocking me behind my back? What if she never existed? _What if I was hallucinating? _

All of the sudden, the cave's murky scent had faded away and was replaced with a light floral scent. It was familiar. It was the same one I had smelled at the ruins. I ran towards the source of the scent. Each step I took, it got stronger and stronger.

This was like a horrible case of déjà-vu.

Perhaps I was going mad, perhaps I just _wanted_ to believe that I was close. I couldn't stop though, I kept trudging through what seemed like an endless labyrinth. My only motivation was to find what I was looking for. I came this far, and it would be a waste to do this all for nothing.

"I have to do this." I repeated that mantra over and over to myself. "A true king doesn't give up what he started, even if it's a trivial cause."

As the smell got stronger, I heard a voice. It was a girl's voice, I was sure of it. She wasn't singing like last time, but whispering.

I knew I had found her when I saw the cave light up in a warm glowing light. I ran towards the light.

"I found you." I said to myself.

Sure enough, she was standing there with her hands joined together in prayer. Her eyes were closed and she was mumbling a few words I couldn't quite hear. I watched her for a while, all the while trying not to get noticed. I felt victorious – but I knew not to quickly celebrate. I hadn't even questioned her yet – in fact, I haven't even spoken to her yet! I was waiting until she was done praying, then I would've had my chance.

I closed my eyes for a bit. I started to get tired. Perhaps it was all the running I did for the past few hours. Perhaps it was the darkness that was tricking my body into getting tired. Perhaps it was the fact I used up most of my magical energy today. Whatever it was, my body felt fatigued. I sat down and leaned against the cave's walls. Soon, I felt like I was going to fall asleep. I couldn't help myself. It was as if gravity was being extra forceful on my eyelids.

It was the wrong time to sleep, but my body couldn't keep up with my mind. There was an internal conflict I could not stop. My mind wanted to keep awake so badly, but my body won the war.

Just before I fell asleep, I heard footsteps. Then, I heard a singing voice again. Her voice. Before I knew it, I was slowly slipping away from the world and falling into slumber.

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**Authors Note:**

I promise this cat-and-mouse thing will end vey soon. This chapter is short, but I believe it will be this chapter or the next one that the lengths of the chapters will be far bigger than the ones now. I'm running out of my pre-written chapters and now that I'm back at school and all, so having these daily updates will become more infrequent. I will try my best, though! Thanks for the current reviews.


	7. Chapter 7: Sakura the Priestess

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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Authors Note: Hi! Just to avoid confusion, this story will switch from the point of view of Syaoran and Sakura. I guess you can figure it out by reading it. Enjoy this update!

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**Chapter VII: Sakura the Priestess**

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I knew he was following me, but why? I've seen him twice now, and this same guy kept following me around. What did he want? I went into the cave to pray. It was where I went to be completely alone from the world. From everyone. This small, dark cave, was my safe shelter. I can't believe this guy had the nerve to follow me into my only place I could get away from people! My sacred spot!

I knew he was there. He was only a few steps away from me. I didn't want to say anything because he might've run after me again. Little did he know that I cast a sleep spell on him so I could run away. I wasn't hurting him or anything – I mean, he'll wake up eventually, right?

I slowly tiptoed towards him. Counter productive, isn't it? But… the only way out was the only way in. I had to make sure I wouldn't wake him up. I clutched onto the fabric of my dress to lift the fabric from the dirty cave floors. I had to do this slowly, but surely.

He was slouched against the wall, and I was tiptoeing to save my life. Who knows who this man might be. Perhaps he's come to take me away? I couldn't let that happen. That wouldn't be good at all. I ran for my freedom, and I'll be damned if I let some stranger take it away from me.

I managed to walk past him without waking him up. Success! I giggled to myself. This could be a potentially dangerous situation and I was treating it like a game. I had to keep my composure. I let go of my dress and started to walk normally in silence. The sounds of water dripping from the cave's ceilings boded well with this man's snoring.

I felt a pang of guilt surge through my body each time I heard him snore. It seemed like each time he snored, it got louder and louder, and I'd feel guilty for just leaving him there. What was I to do? It would be his own problem he got himself into this predicament. He followed me … and wouldn't stop! What if he were a spy? What if I had to be sent back? I didn't want this at all. My morals were conflicting – I couldn't just leave him there! It goes against my duties as a priestess. I was supposed to use my powers for good, not my own selfish intentions.

My fists started to tremble. I turned around finally and started walking towards him. I knew that I couldn't leave him there. I just couldn't. It went against my whole belief system. I took a card out of my small sack I carried around. I chanted a few words. My body filled up with incredible energy, energy that lent me much strength. I walked towards this man and bent down. Slowly, I picked him up. He was as light as a feather.

I decided I would take him home. No, that would be a horrible idea. There could be a possibility he were a spy. I could perhaps just leave him sleeping near town or something. Yet, I'd feel guilty for doing so. This was my fault I was so careless. I had to fix it. I had to apologize to him for casting a sleep spell on him. Maybe he wouldn't tattle on me. Maybe he wouldn't attack me… or maybe he will. Who knows? I had to live to face the consequences of my actions.

**XxXxXxXx**

When we got to my house, I immediately put him on my bed. I watched him with curiousity. Never in my life had I seen someone like him before. He had slightly tanned skin, at least darker than mine. His hair was of a dark brown color that was unkempt and unruly. I knew that I had to use the power of the Strong card to lift him up, as my own body couldn't handle lifting a man with such a muscular physique.

I sighed and poured some hot water into the tea pots. I filled them with some flowers and herbs I had planted outside my garden. I took the remaining hot water and poured it into a basin. I took a clean cloth and dipped it inside the basin, draining most of the water in the cloth and put the cloth against his face. His face was dirty because he spent too much time in the cavern looking for me. The dust must've gotten in his face and eyes. I then rubbed the cloth against his hair, which was the messiest and dirtiest part, as he was slouching against the cave walls.

It was my duty as a priestess to tend and take care of all human life, and it was especially my duty to ensure that their well-beings are at their fullest, no matter who it may be or if it endangered me. I took an oath upon hitting priesthood. I couldn't be selfish. I promised to myself, to my father, to everyone… and most importantly, to Him, Clow. Our God, our saviour.

After I was done tending to him, I sat down on the chair beside the bed and waited for him to awaken. It took a few hours for my spell to finally leave his system. He had finally woken up a few hours later. He seemed dazed and confused when he first opened his eyes. He immediately shot up when he realized he wasn't at his own home or in the cave.

"You!" He pointed to me. I pointed to myself and tilted my head. I had to play the innocent card if I didn't want to get in trouble.

"You're awake." I tried to change the subject. I looked into his dark brown eyes and smiled at him. I watched in amusement as his cheeks flushed into a rose colour.

"How did I get here?" He seemed mortified. I could tell from his voice that he was distressed and scared. I felt really bad for him, but I feel bad because I put him in this situation.

It wasn't fully my fault, though, I was trying to save myself.

"You were sleeping in the cave." I said. "You know, the cave where you followed me in and all."

He was silent, but I saw his face get several shades redder than rose now. He was embarrassed he had been caught. I mean, come on, if he wanted to sneak up on me he could've tried a bit harder to! If I were a wild animal he would've been mauled immediately.

"I apologize." He bowed his head. "I only wanted to see if you were the person I was looking for."

"…Who are you looking for?" My body tensed up immediately. I didn't want to hear it, but I had to for my own safety.

"I saw this girl at the Tomoeda ruins." He was looking up at the ceiling, trying to recollect his thoughts. "She looked a lot like you. I was certain she was you." He looked at me. "Or that you are her."

"What?" I tilted my head again. "Tomo… eda? I'm afraid you're mistaken, I have never heard of a place called Tomoeda in my life."

"You look just like her, though." His eyes were looking into mine. It was as if he were scanning for lies and peering right into my soul. It was invasive, but I stayed calm and smiled at him. I had nothing to hide or lie about, so I didn't want to give him any suspicion.

"I have no clue what you're talking about." I said. "I'm sorry that I caused you so much trouble."

"…I apologize for the misunderstanding, then." He was silent.

"I would never lie to you, stranger. I know we have just met but there is something you should know, I am a priestess, and it is my duty to never cause harm to others. It includes not only physical harm, but spiritual and mental harm as well." I turned to the window. "Lying harms the soul, and that is something I am not willing to do. I took an oath on it."

"Priestess, huh?" He looked over to the window as well. I think he seemed relaxed looking at the ocean water. I suppose it was relaxing, looking at the horizon and watching the tide rise and fall again. It was a therapeutic thing I couldn't understand, but I had pleasure in partaking in looking at the ocean as well. It brought me much peace, just like praying did.

"I have to get going." The guy said hastily. "I am sorry to have been a bother."

"There's no bother at all." I said. "You can stay if you want, you are at my home, which means you are a guest. Would you please stay for dinner?" I stood up, ready to go to the kitchen.

"I don't want to impose." He bowed his head again. "I don't want to cause you any more trouble than I have already."

"There's no imposition at all, Mr…" I paused for a moment. I didn't even know his name! He seemed friendly enough, and he wasn't from here anyway. There was no harm in getting acquainted.

"Oh, Li Syaoran." He said. "I'm sorry to have been so rude as to not introduce myself." He extended his hand. "What about yours?"

"I'm…" I hesitated for a bit. It was only fair he knew my name.

"I'm Kinomoto Sakura." I extended my hand back. He took my hand and shook it, then pulled it over to his lips to kiss it. I felt my face get hot, I quickly took back my hand.

"… Nice to meet you. Please make yourself at home…" I looked down to my feet. "I'll prepare our meal now."

I dashed off into the kitchen in a hurry, shutting the door behind me. I looked at the hand he had kissed and I felt myself get really embarrassed. I shouldn't have had a problem with it because of my upbringing, but I still felt as shy as ever.

I took out the vegetables and started to slice them and peel them. I had to take my mind off everything that has happened so far in my life and just enjoy it now. I couldn't let my paranoia get to me. This Li person looks and seems genuine enough, perhaps he could help me escape this place.

"Hello?" I heard the door open from behind me. I looked over to see that it was Li. "Kinomoto, did you need any help? I feel really strange just sitting here and letting you do all the work." He walked towards me.

"No, no, please." I pleaded. "I can do this alone. You've already gone through so much today."

"Surely I've got to help the woman who took care of me." He looked at me with his huge brown eyes. They were so sincere—but I was tired of letting everyone do the work for me. I am a priestess now. I couldn't depend on other people to do my stuff for me. Even cooking! It's my job to cook.

"No, please Mr. Li, you can just wait. It doesn't trouble me at all." I smiled at him. I just wanted to be alone for a while, then we could talk. I had to assert my independence.

"…Alright." He walked out of the kitchen into the main room. I sighed in relief.

It took an hour or so for the stew to cook, but it was worth it. I found it delicious and apparently, my guest found it delicious too. There wasn't a drop of stew left.

"This is delicious." He beamed at me. "I haven't gotten a meal like this since I had arrived here."

"Oh?" I stood up and put the dishes away. "Do you not know how to cook?"

"A little bit…" He said. "I taught myself how, but it doesn't beat just home cooked meals, you know?"

"I know what you mean." I lightly laughed. "I had to teach myself to cook too. I guess it paid off. I was really tired of cooks cooking my meals." I gasped and listened to what I had just said. I gave out information I shouldn't have.

"Ha ha, that's why I learned how to cook." He replied. He took note of my gasp and looked at me oddly. I hope he doesn't over analyse what I just said. It will bite me in the rump later.

I bit my lower lip, a habit of mine when I get anxious.

It was alright though, he ignored what I said and we just spoke, getting to know each other a little bit, but not too much.

"Where are you from, then?" I was curious. I had lived here since I could remember it.

"I'm from…" He paused. He looked conflicted and horrified, but I had no idea why. I just listened intently. I had patience. If he didn't want to share it that's fine with me.

He never did tell me where he was from. I think that troubled him a lot – he wanted to tell me, I could see it in his eyes. His eyes were scared, but also full of pride as we mentioned the word "home." He didn't say it outright, but I could tell he lived a privileged lifestyle similar to myself. I could sense it in him, I could see it in his behaviour and how he spoke. I didn't know him, but I felt like this person is the person I have been looking for all along. Yet... I couldn't. I couldn't bring myself to become close to him.

After our little chat, it was time to part ways. I stood outside my door, waving him goodbye. Perhaps I would meet him again but I wasn't hopeful. I am just grateful for having someone to talk to - it seemed like forever since I've last spoken to someone without having to be rushed.

"See you again sometime." I said politely.

"Yeah." He looked to the ground, troubled. "See you. Thank you for your hospitality."

"No problem." I smiled. "It was my pleasure."

It was weird, the whole night he was here, he did mention he mistook me for someone else, but did not state the intent. I'm just grateful he wasn't looking for me for the wrong reasons.

I watched him walk away and fade from my sight. I took a card in my hand and casted the Loop spell. I didn't want anyone finding me – even if it was a new friend. It got lonely here, which is why I often went near town. I was by my lonesome again, but by choice. This is the life I have chosen. For every pleasure in life, there is a consequence.

This was my consequence for being foolish. This was my consequence for sinning. This self-induced loneliness was my punishment.

I had to pay for it.

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**Authors note:**

Not much to say, but yay! Syaoran finally met Sakura. Hmm, I won't share anything else for now. You'll just have to read and REVIEW REVIEW for the next chapter. :)


	8. Chapter 8: The Runaway

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter VIII: Runaway**

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I suppose it turns out that the girl I thought I saw at the ruins was the same girl from this place. I knew it was highly unlikely, given my situation, but it was worth a shot.

Still, I couldn't help but having that nagging feeling that those two girls are related – or even in fact one in the same. I didn't have any proof or evidence to prove it, but it was something that lingered in the back of my mind. Sakura seemed sincere enough, but my mother always told me to be weary of people and not to judge a person by their appearance or first impression.

I mean, how likely was it that both girls wore a similar white dress and had the same hair and eyes? I admit I couldn't see the alleged Tomoeda Maiden's face clearly in the dark, but those features were not only crucial but they were the ones that stood out most to me.

Besides her appearance – when I came into close contact with both girls, an overbearing floral scent would fill the air.

How could these events be mere coincidences?

That Kinomoto girl was up to something, and I wanted to know what.

**XxXxXxXxX**

After breakfast Eriol was testing me on how I could focus my inner energy to move objects afloat. It was an energy-draining task… who knew levitating objects could be so tiresome? He told me when I was good enough I would learn how to channel my inner strength to heal the wounded. It seemed like a daunting task, but that was what motivate me to push harder. To get to the next level. You see, a King must be able to cross all disciplines, knowing and being able to master how to support, to battle physically and to successfully use magic. If a war broke out in the Kingdom one day, the King or Queen—whoever the head of the Kingdom may be, is expected to lead and fight their way into victory. It put a lot of pressure on me, because truth be told, I never really wanted to be a King. I always looked at my mother as the one who would lead the Kingdom into glory forever and ever. Since my father died, my mother had been working so hard to keep everything in place. I just don't think I could follow in her footsteps.

When I was a child, I was told early on that I would be the King. I never understood why – I had 4 older sisters who could've made great successors to the throne. However, it was tradition that in one generation, a woman would rule, then the next, a man. It would alternate sexes onto who was the head of the throne. Since my mother was the head of the throne, it was only natural that I was the only male heir to the throne – her only son, so ever since then I had this huge pressure on my shoulders. The only encouragement I got was that I would make a great king someday.

I didn't want to disappoint my family. It was never in my intentions or desires I would want to be many distances away from home. I was not happy with the royal treatment, but being with people I knew and loved balanced it all out. When my mother told me I had to do my training far from home, my heart slowly broke. I was angry, but upset as well. I couldn't show it to my family though – a King had to disregard any personal feelings he may have and push it aside for the greater good of the people.

That's why I was here in the first place. An odd predicament it was, having to end up here instead of Tomoeda, but I had to make do with my situation.

I had to focus on my training.

**XxXxXxXxXx**

I never did see the Kinomoto girl again for the next following weeks. How could I, anyway? I never actively sought after her and neither did I go near the area of her home. I was too busy training with Eriol anyway.

"You've improved immensely since getting here." Eriol smiled. He threw a water bottle at me, "We can stop for today."

"What? Why?" I wanted to keep on training. Once I got into the 'zone' of an activity, it was hard for me to stop. Think of it as an avalanche on a mountain if you will. My desire and motivation for something would start out small, but would grow more and more as time goes on. I was annoyed because I wanted to train some more, but Eriol would always end our sessions too early or cut me a break when I didn't want it.

"I don't want to overwork you, Syaoran." Eriol shook his head. "It wouldn't be good for you. Besides, your mother mentioned to me how stubborn you were. I didn't believe it until I've seen it for myself."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I wanted to smack him. Typical Eriol. Although I've been living with Eriol for a while – and I am grateful for his hospitality and all, he really annoyed me. He acts unprofessional and too relaxed and doesn't act like a proper teacher at all! I wanted to get into the spiritual magic – the focal point in my training, but no, we were still practicing basic spells. It was repetitive and annoying. I wanted something new.

"I'm tired." Eriol confessed. "I can't keep up with my energetic student. We've been working hard all week… and last week, and the week before that." He drifted.

I couldn't believe my ears. I should be the one complaining, not my teacher! What was my mother thinking, getting this guy to train me? Why not an actual master or a monk? I know it's unheard of to question my mother's decisions, but this one was something I couldn't help. I couldn't see the reason why she would ever hire Eriol for anything. Perhaps he could've been a good advisor back home – but a teacher? That he does not fit the bill.

'_Don't judge a book by its cover_.' My mother's voice rung in my head. I took another glance at Eriol, who at this point was walking back towards the house. How long did I have to wait until I could make a proper judgment? If Eriol was a book, I've already read a few chapters… and quite frankly, Eriol makes for an annoying, boring book.

"I'm going out to town." I yelled. I didn't want to go in the house because I needed some air anyway, and besides, being exposed to Eriol too much made me nauseous and it drove me into an irrational anger I couldn't explain.

So off to town I went.

**XxXxXxX**

I thought I had went through the whole part of the main part of town in Ling Shi island, but I had realized that I only traversed through Eriol's area. Eriol's part of town looked regal and posh; only because the wealthy and supposed important people lived there. I didn't know the politics or locals in this place, so I didn't know whether or not to believe what Tomoyo told me about the place.

I decided to walk to places I hadn't explored before because of time constraints. Since Eriol decided to be a lazy ass, I decided to finally venture out of this area and into other parts of the island.

Everything was consistent and not much of a difference, except houses were quite smaller than Eriols had – but that was ordinary, I wasn't saying it was a bad thing because Eriol was important and wealthy, it was only natural he'd have a huge house to himself.

I always wondered – Eriol had such prestige, yet no one really approached him much. At least that's what I thought. No one really went in and out of the house except me and his assistant, Nakuru. People with such importance, especially a teacher who was held in such regard like Eriol would have more visitors coming into his house. I suppose he was like me in a way he liked to be alone.

Even Tomoyo never really left the house either. She was always with Eriol, all the time. If I didn't know better, Eriol and Tomoyo had a little thing going on in between them. There were times where I actually teased Eriol about it and he'd just smile and laugh, but never really gave a direct response. I knew he liked her though – he watched her with such kind, protective eyes. I knew it was different from a familiar gaze because he'd give her looks of desire and need – I knew it anywhere. I knew when my sister was in love with another man, she'd give him the same look. Eriol gave Tomoyo that look.

Tomoyo would also sneak in some lovey-dovey looks to Eriol when she thought I wasn't paying attention or looking. I saw it, and all this stuff made things so amusing to me. Tomoyo was a bit more shy than Eriol was in outwardly expressing her feelings, but she expressed it in little things such as cooking for him and sewing him new things. She was innovative and creative and would constantly give him gifts. Occasionally she'd make gifts for everyone else in the house, but the best things were reserved for Eriol only.

Even though I observe people in love, I've never been in love personally. As a child, I couldn't even bear the thought of having a woman around me for all eternity because I grew up in a house full of girls. Since my father died when I was fairly young, I never really had a male influence in my life except Wei. Even then, I spent more time with my mother and 4 sisters than I ever did with Wei.

When I was growing up, I already knew my future because it was mapped out for me. I never bothered with love because there was already talk about me being engaged in the future – and I was only 8 years old when I learned of this. I was to be engaged with my of my closest friend and cousin, Meiling Li. We grew up together ever since we were born.

I did enjoy Meiling's company because she was one of my closest friends who I would sometimes confide in when I would be bored or annoyed with my sisters. Meiling wasn't like my sisters at all, actually, which I liked about her. Since we were the only two children in the same age group, we did everything together: from school to calligraphy classes, to even training. She didn't really enjoy the girlish things my sisters enjoyed like makeup and boys and clothes. She liked to get down and dirty in the mud, play fight, and eventually, actual fighting. She was a formidable warrior and she could probably kick any of our strongest military members easily in the ass.

Although Meiling was the closest person to me back home besides Wei or my mother, I didn't love or even like her the way Eriol and Tomoyo did. I loved her like I loved my sisters. Consequently, loving her that way made everything else complicated. Before I left for Tomoeda, she told me she loved me. Everyone in the palace knew about her confession – but I hadn't responded back, only because I don't really know what to say or how I actually felt. I do know for sure, I hadn't given her that same look Eriol did when he looked at Tomoyo.

As I headed more into the central part of the island, it became much noisier and busier than where Eriol lived. There were street vendors everywhere, trying to sell all kinds of goods from food to flowers, clothing to little trinkets. I was being bombarded by merchants trying to sell me their products, but on an island like this where there's not many visitors, it's easy to spot someone who wasn't from this place. Of course the new person had to be the next potential customer.

I spotted a flower vendor who was selling beautiful chrysanthemum flowers. Back in Heung Gong, chrysanthemums were prized flowers that were meant to be given as gifts to people. Since they came in an array of colours, they had different meanings as well.

The Kinomoto girl's face popped in my head as I stared at the chrysanthemums. I knew from out of respect, I had to give a present to the Kinomoto girl for helping me out the other day. It's not everyday someone – no matter who they are, takes a stranger in their home, especially ones that stalk them, and go and take care of them and such. It was rude of me not to even seek her out and buy her a present. My mother always taught me the importance of being polite to someone, and if someone does something nice for you, you had to do something nice for them.

I walked up to the vendor, who seemed to be eyeing me carefully. She knew that she had a customer.

"I'll have a dozen of those, please." I dug out some money from my pockets. Eriol was kind enough to give me some currency from this place. I figured anyway since my mother hired him, she had paid him a hefty amount of money anyways. It was at least he could do for me, seeing as I was a new visitor here and all. I doubt they took Tomoeda or Heung Gong currency.

The vendor took the flowers and wrapped them in a ribbon and handed it to me. I handed her the money in exchange and bowed. She just smiled at me and said, "Good luck."

I didn't know it then, but I needed it when I was off to look for Sakura's house. I headed back to the direction I came from because Eriol's house was near the forest Sakura Kinomoto lived in. Before I knew it, my plans of further exploring the islands were long history and was now replaced by trying to properly thank the girl for her kindness. After all, I had to be a gentleman.

**XxXxXxXxXx**

As I was walking to the forest, some people dressed in fancy red robes were walking around holding a scroll in their hands. They were asking the locals questions – I hadn't heard what they were asking, but of course I'd figure it out eventually when they finally caught up to me.

"Have you seen this woman?" The man holding the scroll said. He opened it up and my eyes widened at the contents. Inside the scroll was a painting of a girl that looked a lot like Sakura. The girl in the painting was dressed in a beautiful pink gown with intricate designs. She was wearing jewelry and a head dress as well that framed her face nicely. Though the most disturbing fact was the face itself. It was an exact match: the same green eyes. The only difference was the girl in the photo had long flowing hair. She had the same eyes and hair colour as Sakura, and not to mention the same face, but the rest didn't click. I hesitated to say something, but eventually told him no, I hadn't seen this girl.

"I see." He eyed me with suspicion. "You look new here, boy. Do you even know who this is?"

Did I look THAT different from everyone else? I rolled my eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I am, actually."

"Welcome." The man said. Everyone else dressed in the red robes bowed to me as a greeting, including the man. I bowed back in respect and nodded.

"This woman is the late Supreme Priests' daughter." He said sadly. "She had run away from home from a few weeks now, and her brother and everyone else back at the temple really miss her and want her back home. It's causing quite a disruption, actually." He put his hand on his chin. "So please, if you see her, please try to reason with her. If not, please tell us."

"…Alright." I wasn't planning on interfering with any of this place's politics. I'm sure whoever this priests' daughter was, she couldn't have gone very far anyway because this island was fairly small in size, and besides, if she could just go up and leave like that I wouldn't be here, I'd be taking the next ferry out of here.

"Thank you, young one." The man said. He snapped his fingers and soon him and his goons were walking the other way, since it would be useless for them to go to the forest to continue to interrogate people. Not a soul lived there, except Sakura. Though if they actually wanted to get anywhere, I'd actually go and search the inhabited areas of the island. I mean, that's where I would go if I wanted to run away. Unless she actually succeeded in running away and getting out of this place, I curse her for being swift.

It was odd, it seemed like many things were related to Sakura, but I knew from my first mistake I shouldn't judge on matters like that. I shook my head and tried to get myself unfocused from the silly town politics and focus on the task at hand.

**XxXxXxXx**

It seemed like I was walking forever. The trees, the flowers – it all became too familiar to me. It seemed like if I walked forward, I'd end up where I started. I felt like I was going mad. It's not as if I were lost – I remembered clearly where I found her the last time I had seen her, and the time I walked to Eriol's house from Kinomoto's house. I have to give myself credit, I had excellent memory.

Walking to Kinomoto's house, I felt like I was walking an endless loop. I have probably seen the same tree and statue about 15 times. I gave up and turned the other way.

Then I saw a person in a white hood walking towards the direction I had just come from. Either they knew where they were going, or they were going to wind up lost like me. I walked towards the person and they stopped as I approached them.

"Excuse me… " It hurt my pride to ask for directions, but sometimes it couldn't be helped. It was getting dark, and I realized I was getting nowhere at all. I knew this because I could see the town's lanterns lit up from the distance. It meant I wasn't going as far as I had thought. Somehow, was I walking through some loop?

"…Li?" The person in the hood said. The voice was familiar –- I knew whose voice it was! The person in the hood looked up at me and sure enough, it was Sakura Kinomoto. Her big green eyes was a dead given.

"…Kinomoto!" I was flustered. She must think I was following her again or something. "Uh… I was going for a walk!" I tried to cover up the fact I was lost. There was no fooling her though, as she looked at me in doubt.

"Uh huh." She smiled. "No one really goes out to walk here." She looked at my hand which was holding the bouquet of flowers. "Let me guess, you went out to go pick some flowers?"

"Actually." I cleared my throat. I was shaking a bit and I felt my cheeks flush. "The reason why I came over here was to thank you." I bowed.

"Huh?" Sakura was confused, it was plastered all over her face.

Our talk was suddenly interrupted by some people walking toward us. Sakura put back her hood and gasped. She whispered to me, "Let's go, hurry!" She took my hand. Suddenly, I felt my body jerk towards the forest again. Sakura was actually pulling my hand with the force of her speed. I followed her lead, but I hadn't realized I still had my hand in Sakura's. She was so concentrated in running, I didn't really question the matter further.

"We're losing them!" She said it with such enthusiasm, followed with a small giggle. "Let's go this way, they won't find us here…" She ran to a clearing in which there was no road. Her grip on my hand tightened. I let her lead the way – I didn't want to get myself in this whole mess as well. I might as well run with her.

We made it to Sakura's house at last. We eventually made it, despite not taking any routes. It was longer way, but from the speed we both ran, it was better that way. Sakura let go of my hand and she started to pant. "Thank goodness." She said to herself. I guess she didn't realize I could hear her.

"What the heck just happened?" I yelled. "Why were we running?"

"Sssh!" She put her finger to her lips. "Don't speak so loud." She whispered.

"Why? Have you been doing something illegal? Immoral?" My voice rose. I didn't want to make it a routine that I had to sprint for my life whenever I was with her. Sakura was running from people, but who? Could it be that it had something to do with those weirdos in the red robes?

She was silent. Something I said had bothered her, I could tell. She looked at me with such guilt, but then turned away.

Her voice was low. "Let's not talk about it, okay?" She opened the door to her house. "Let's just go inside, Li. It's getting cold outside." She stood outside the door, making a motion with her hands telling me to get inside. I was hesitant – I felt uncomfortable being here, even though it was my intention to see her. I went against my feeling of uneasiness and got in the house. She was right, it was getting cold anyways – and I was finally tired from training, then walking around town, then sprinting all in one day.

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**Authors Note:**

Another chapter for you all! Thank you for the people who have been reading and reviewing this story. I'd like more input on my work. :) Please read and review, and if you're reading this, thank you for following my story this far! The story isn't far from over, I promise you that.


	9. Chapter 9: Burned

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter IX: Burned**

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"I'm sorry for troubling you." Sakura looked up at me with such tired eyes. "It's been a long day."

"No kidding." I glared at her. "Why the heck were you running from, and why? Are you some kind of criminal? I don't want to associate myself with those kinds of people!" It's true, I didn't want to associate myself with criminal people. If this Sakura Kinomoto girl was some sort of criminal, I'm out, even if she was a priestess and all. It could all just be a ruse, you never know. People do crazy things for no reason.

She looked down at her tea cup and sighed. "I'm not a criminal, and even if my actions were considered selfish, I am not a criminal!" She yelled as tears were flowing down from her eyes.

My heart sank. I've never made a woman cry before – and my sisters don't count as women. I felt like I stepped out of bounds, and even worse, my whole idea of coming to see Sakura was to thank her and give her flowers, not insult her by throwing accusations and making her cry. I had to do something fast, so I handed her the flowers.

I bowed my head and swallowed my pride. I hated apologizing, and I here I was doing it.

I handed her the flowers, "I'm sorry, Kinomoto. I didn't mean to accuse you." I was actually surprised she didn't yell at me or tell me to get out of her house like my sisters would have done to me. She just looked up at me with her tear-filled eyes and gave me a sad smile. She nodded and took the flowers, taking a whiff of the scent and then gasping for air through her forced silent sobs.

"Thank you." She said. "It's not your fault, really, Li. I do appreciate the apology nonetheless."

I couldn't help but have a nagging feeling that it _was_ my fault and she was just being polite about it.

Sakura got up and found a water pitcher and set it on the table. She put the flowers inside the vase, satisfied. "This will have to do since I don't have any vases." She lightly laughed. "Thank you again, Li."

I tried to smile back at her but I felt incredibly awkward. I didn't know what to say – I hated to say it, but I was incredibly dumb and shy around people I didn't know, especially ones that I embarrass myself in front of. What should have I said to break the ice? Asking about who was chasing her and why would just make it worse.

Instead, we just sat in silence staring at each other. I sure felt awkward just sitting there, even though it was relatively normal for me not to talk for long periods of time. Especially at home. Sitting in complete silence with someone you barely knew was nerve-wracking, especially when you just made her cry and all.

"I can't believe you came all this way to bring me flowers." Sakura broke the silence at last. "You really didn't have to!"

"It's rude of me not to thank you after what you did for me." I told her. It was the truth. I wasn't good at conveying my emotions into words so I had to show it. Flowers were probably my best option. Now that I did what I had to do, I wanted to leave. I really didn't have anything else left to say, formalities have been said and I just felt like an imposition on her.

I got up and headed towards the door. Sakura quickly followed me and grabbed my arm, stopping me before I opened the door. I looked at her in surprise, I guess my eyes said it all. I think I gave her an annoyed and confused look. I wanted to leave, why wouldn't she let me?

Sakura looked back at me with pleading eyes as if she was telling me to stay. She was like a little kid in her expression when she tugged my arm. There were no words that needed to be spoken. I shook her hand off my arm gently and looked at her straight in the eyes.

"What?" I said in a calm voice. I was prone to be quite aggressive in my tone, although I didn't really mean to give that impression.

Sakura looked down at the floor and said quietly, "Please stay."

"I've caused you enough trouble already."

"It's more like the opposite." Sakura replied. "You went through all the trouble to get me something for something I did that wasn't even a big deal anyway." She bit her bottom lip. "Besides, you being in my bed wasn't a coincidence."

"What?"

"I mean… I knew you were following me in the cave." She replied. "I knew you followed me into the cave and I know everything. In fact, I'm the reason why you fell asleep like a little baby." She giggled. I found to see what was funny about the fact that I was stalking her and she kept running away. I also didn't understand what she was trying to tell me. Was it her praying? Her singing?

"I cast a sleep spell on you." She said as a matter-of-factly. "Worked like a charm, really. I hadn't had the chance to cast the sleep spell on anyone before. You were out cold for a few hours."

I felt my blood boil a little. I tried to keep my cool, but my fists were twitching. I was in a state of confusion and irritability. I understood why she'd cast a sleep spell, I guess, but she should've just confronted me about it instead of running away like a coward. Nothing was more irritating than a coward. Have some honour, at least!

"Now, why would you do that? I get I was following you and being a creep, but if you hadn't run away all the time, I wouldn't have to chase you around!"

"Why are you chasing me in the first place, huh?" Sakura's eyes suddenly got 2 shades darker. I hadn't seen that eye colour before, for reasons too obvious. I didn't know her that well or long enough, and two, she didn't seem the type to get angry. I suppose I ticked her off when I showed my confrontational colours. I wasn't about to let a weird woman win against me in the battle of words. I never back down from an argument, ever.

"I told you, I thought you were someone I knew!" I raised my voice. "If you had just stay put, we wouldn't have this issue, now would we?"

"Says the creep." Sakura rolled her eyes. "You know, I do have eyes, and I can see you! Instead of being suspicious and hiding around corners, trees and bushes, you could come approach me like an actual civilized human being! Unless manners don't exist where you're from."

I can't believe she just insulted where I was from! It's one thing to insult me, but to insult my homeland? She pushed it too far. I admit that I didn't like this place, but I don't go off running my mouth about the mannerisms of Ling Shi and how people act and such. She just implied my kingdom was full of uncivilized people! My eyes flashed in anger. I opened the door and headed out the door. She's lucky I'm trained in discipline and she was a woman, because if it were another guy, I'd probably hit her.

"You didn't let me finish!" She yelled. She dashed out the door to catch up to me. Unlike the other times she's done to me, I was just walking away instead of running. I really didn't want to hear her excuses. She insulted my homeland and insulted me, and on top of that, she used magic on me – and then lied about how I got there. If she truly were a priestess, as she said, she wouldn't cause any harm to anyone, and that included lying. I was out of here.

"I don't need to hear it." I told her coldly. "I don't need to be insulted, and I certainly don't need you to insult where I'm from."

"Okay, okay." Sakura took my arm again. I violently shook it off and kept walking. Stubbornly, she grabbed on my arm again.

"Let go!" I yelled.

"No! Listen!" She said. "I don't like that you're mad at me before listening to what I have to say!"

I stopped and stared at her with an annoyed look. I took her hand gently off of my arm, then proceeded to cross my own arms. I was tapping my finger against my arm in rhythm with my feet tapping the ground. If she got any more grating, I'd scream. So for once, I'll drop it and be the bigger person for once.

"Fine, I'm listening." I told her.

"I cast a sleep spell on you for my protection. I mean, listen to me. If you had some person following you around, wouldn't you try to take precaution? My sleep spell was justified."

"You just told me you've never cast a sleep spell ever in your life." I told her. "I can see how it's justified, but what if you messed up and actually killed me? You shouldn't be throwing around magic you're unfamiliar with."

"I can control myself." She said in a confident tone. "I'm not stupid when it comes to my magic. Being a priestess isn't just some fancy title, you know."

"You know there's a limit on which I have patience." I was tapping my finger faster. "If you gotta say something, say it now."

"You know, you don't have to be so rude." She said quietly. "I thought you were different. I guess my first impression of you was wrong." She turned away. "I don't owe you anything, not even an explanation if you're just going to be this way. I didn't know giving a girl a bouquet of flowers was an invitation to start being rude to them."

"And I didn't know giving a girl flowers would mean that she had open fire to insult not only me, but my home land as well." I snarled.

"I'm thankful for that, Li. I'm sorry." She said. "Please let me explain myself." That was my cue to be quiet and let her talk. Even if she annoyed me right now, and even if I didn't want to hear it. I had to out of respect and let my stubbornness hide for right now.

"You know, lately people have been following me around and looking for me." She started. Sakura was playing with her hair and was looking at the ground. That was a nervous habit Meiling did back home when she was nervous or was in trouble. I nodded to keep Sakura going.

"I ran away from home." She said. "I _can't_ come back. I just can't."

"Why would you run away from home?" I told her. "If people are looking for you, they must miss you. What about your family?"

"Yes, I know. Don't you think I'm lonely out here?" Her voice croaked. Before I knew it, she was shaking again and crying. She fell to the ground on her knees and buried her face in her hands. "I miss my family, I really do…"

I knelt down and started to feel the side-effects of guilt hit me. I felt bad for yelling at her earlier. I always felt bad when I watched a girl cry, or anyone cry for that matter. I started to stroke her back. "Kinomoto, I'm sorry for yelling at you. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I hadn't realized you're going through a rough time." I tried to give her a reassuring smile, but she still kept her hands buried in her face. She was sobbing.

"I can't go back." She said. "It'd be the end of me. I already did a bad thing by leaving. I would never be able to be happy ever again. I know my duties as a priestess is to put others before myself, but at the same time, I want to go back but I know what would happen if I did go."

"If it really makes you unhappy to go home, then don't…" I kept rubbing her back. "I know how badly I want to go home, but my mother sent me out of the country to go on a pilgrimage. I know I couldn't go back because it'd bring shame to my family not to have completed my tasks. That's why I'm out here for who-knows-how long." I thought of Eriol and how he was really too laid back and borderline useless as a teacher, "We have got to hold on though, right? There's a good reason as to why you left and ran away. I won't ask, but from what I've seen from such a short time I've known you, you're a good person and would never intentionally try to cause harm to others."

She looked up at me with her tear-stained face. More tears flowed out of her big green eyes. I extended my arms to her and pulled her close to my body. I knew whenever my sisters were sad, my father would hug them to make them stop crying. I didn't know Sakura that well, but I know she needed someone, anyone. I was here, and it would be really rude to leave a sad crying girl all alone in the forest.

She gasped as she was being pulled towards me. She looked up at me like a hurt animal and she was unsure as to whether to stay or leave. Her body was tense but she soon started to warm up to me.

"Thank you, Syaoran." She said through her sobs.

"… No problem, Kinom—" I paused. "… Sakura."

Sakura eventually stopped crying, and after that we really didn't say anything else to each other. The sky started to darken as we were walking back to her home. I had walked quite a distance away from Sakura's house – and instead of her walking and running away, it was me that was running away. Now that we were even and vented our frustrations, it was time to wrap things up, so to speak. She was obviously running and hiding away from someone or something so I wanted to help her feel safe. It was the polite and right thing to do, I found.

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

As we were approaching her home, we saw a black cloud of smoke coming in the same direction we were going to. The air smelled of faint smoke. There was an orange glow that could be seen from afar. Sakura and I both started to run as fast as we could back to her house.

I wondered what it was – I'm sure it was a fire, but where? Panic was painted all over Sakura's face. She was sprinting for her life, even if she was running out of breath. The smoky smell got stronger and stronger and the orange glow got brighter and brighter. Soon, smoke started to blow in our faces. I covered my nose and mouth with my hand as I felt myself become enveloped in smoke. It was getting hotter and hotter.

Right in front of my eyes was Sakura's house being engulfed in flames. Sakura gasped loudly, letting the smoke fill her lungs. She started cough and coughing while tears ran down her face.

"Why?" She screamed. She ran into the house. That was possibly the most stupidest and most impulsive things I've seen anyone do. Sakura didn't care, she ran through the broken-down door and disappeared from my line of sight.

I was doing the most impulsive and most stupidest thing ever, by following her in. The smoke was overbearing and strong, stinging my eyes. She had to get out of there, quickly. None of her material belongings are worth her life, or anyone's life for that matter.

"Sakura!" I said. The sound was muffled, but still audible I found. I frantically searched for her. Inside of her house was destroyed: all the dishes were broken, the windows were broken into, everything was just an utter mess. The water pitcher that once held the flowers I brought for her was on the table. It was broken up with the flowers wilted and slightly burned. The water had protected the flowers from the fire, but it would be a matter of time until the flowers would be like everything else in the house.

From the look of things, the fire started not too long ago. I hadn't realized it, but we spent a good few hours outside running around and bickering about something I realize now wasn't as bad as I thought it was. Am I feeling guilty right now? You can bet on it. If we didn't fight and if I hadn't left the house, this wouldn't have happened.

Whoever did this was going to pay.

With a glowing card in her hand and one of her hands covering her nose and mouth, Sakura yelled at the top of her lungs and shouted, "Watery!"

A huge whirlpool of water appeared from nowhere, swallowing the flames and killing them in one swoop. The only downside was that everything got wet, including me.

Sakura ran to her bedroom and started rummaging through her things that didn't burn to a crisp. Unfortunately, most of her belongings got destroyed and it was irreversible to fix everything. All the books I have once seen standing proudly on her bookshelves were nothing more than wet, soggy half-ashed books that are now the shadows of what it used to be. All the paintings and pictures hung on the wall had deteriorated to nothing. Her little trinkets and decorations were nothing more than broken pieces on the ground.

Everything that once contained it's own life-like beauty was now destroyed. Everything was gone all in one swoop from the flames.

Sakura finally found what she was looking for, and to both our surprise, was left undestroyed. She took what was left and put it into her sack that she kept around her at all times. Fortunately for her and her sack, the objects she put in there were only small objects. I didn't question her further but instead I tried to be strong and reassuring for her. Sakura may be a stranger, but she's now my friend, even if we're not that close. No one deserved this, no one, especially not Sakura.

"I can't believe this!" Sakura yelled. "I can't believe anyone would … do this." She fell onto the ground again in tears. "I'm tired of this, I'm tired of running away!"

"Sakura…" I knelt down beside the crying girl again. Déjà-vu. "We'll get who ever did this, okay?"

"No…" She shook her head. "I don't want to do that. Revenge is never the answer." She started to cry harder. "Everything I've built for… it's gone." Her eyes got even lighter and what once was there, that glimmer of light she usually had, had faded away.

I stepped outside to look for clues as to who did this horrible thing. What did Sakura do? What did she do that was so horrible that someone or some people or something decided to burn down her house? Here I thought no one would actually find Sakura's house as it was in an obscure place, but the evidence here was clear that someone did know where she was staying because they had successfully burned down Sakura's house.

I took a look from the outside. What once was beautiful was now ruined. It looked like an abandoned burnt down shack from where I stood. The plants and flowers that looked so pretty no longer existed. The windows were violently broken into. The door no longer even stood in its place. The roof was partly burnt and it showed.

It couldn't have been a fire that was started naturally, because it made no sense. There was no thunderstorms or lightning bolts, because it was perfectly fine in a weather sense. The weather on this island wasn't dry at all, but very humid, which made sense because it was an island and all.

I tried to deduce what happened, but I only confused myself further. If this were a fire caused by an angry inexperienced mob who just decided to take torches and what not and burn down her house, the damage wouldn't be _this_ severe, even if Sakura and I were gone for a few hours. No, this kind of fire would only be caused by magic. Strong magic. Average magic like mine wouldn't have enough power to fully burn down a house and create fires that would destroy every single thing in the house with it's flames. Magicians with really strong magic could've only had the power and skills to do this much damage.

I looked over to the tree in front of Sakura's house, where it was perfectly undamaged. None of the trees within the vicinity of Sakura's house were burnt down, only the things that physically touched Sakura's house. I squinted only to see that there was a knife and a piece of paper lodged into the tree's base. I walked over cautiously and prepared. With this kind of thing, you never knew what was going to happen. Maybe I could finally put what I trained for to use.

Thankfully, no one had attacked me as I approached the tree. I didn't feel like I was being watched, either. In the past training sessions I had back in Heung Gong, I had been taught to be wary of my surroundings and sense energy present around me. I didn't feel a thing, so I felt it was okay to go and check out what was written on the piece of paper.

I couldn't quite make out what it said, but then I stupidly realized it was upside down. It said, "You can run, but we will find you. Come back home, we miss you."

Disgusted. I felt disgusted. Whoever sent this to Sakura were people back from her actual home. I get Sakura ran away from home, but was burning her house down necessary? I guess I could understand why she ran away if she lived with psychopaths who burned down people's houses to make a message. I clutched the note in my hand and took the knife. The knife itself was a beautiful jewel encrusted knife, and from the looks of it, it was looking quite expensive.

"Syaoran?" Sakura's voice was low mix of sadness and weariness. She took small steps towards me. "What's that?"

"A note I found on this tree." I pointed to the tree, and then I showed her the knife and note. "Whoever left it from you—"

She read the note and started to tremble. She was like a deer that was scared to be shot. From the looks of it, she was sucker punched right in the stomach. She looked like she was going to cry and she also looked like she was going to be sick. I sympathized for her, because not only did someone burn her house down, but it was someone she knew, and perhaps someone she was close to.

"I know who did it." She swallowed some breaths of air. "I'm not safe here anymore, Syaoran… I don't know what to do. They know where I am now, and who knows what they're going to do to me…" She started to laugh a bit, but it wasn't the laugh of being humoured, but more of a laugh as if she started to slowly go mad. Even I got worried – when someone starts to laugh after something horrible happened to him or her, something really ticked inside them that caused him or her to snap. I put my hand on Sakura's shoulder, a silent notion to tell her I would be here for her to help her in any way I could.

"I should've pre-empted this." She whispered through her laughter, "They control the island, after all… of course they'd look everywhere. Of course, the moment I left my guard down, it was all over. Even my magic couldn't shield me forever…" She clutched onto her necklace, gripping it tightly. "I can't go back, I can't, and I won't." She looked over to me. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble, Syaoran. I'm going to find somewhere to hide, or find a way to leave. I can't be here on Ling Shi anymore. I don't care about a ferry, and I don't care if it's a long journey to get out of here. I will find a way."

"I'll be there to help you." I told her. "I want to leave, too."

"I need to find a cave or a shelter to spend the night." She sighed, "I've burnt out most of my energy trying to shield my home and trying to stop the fire."

"Shielding your home?" I asked.

"I know you were walking to my house." She told me, "Have you ever noticed every time you tried to get to where I was, you'd inevitably end up at the same place you were last time?"

I nodded.

"It was my magic that created that loop." She said sternly. "I use it every day, but when emotions come into play, it disrupts my magic. That's why I can't be upset or angry or sad, because that's when my energy is weakest. To have your energy at it's utmost potential, you must be calm and clear all personal conflicts in your head."

"You seem conflicted all the time." I told her, "It must be hard for you, and draining to keep that going."

"I tried to keep strong, you know." She rubbed her neck and looked down at the ground. "I think I kept a good job trying to be neutral and trying to clear all emotion in my system, but when I see anyone, any person, it just makes me miss home and makes me think about everything… and thinking is an emotionally draining process."

"I'm sorry for upsetting you." I felt ashamed to have even be part of this. I felt absolutely awful for everything. I knew that my pilgrimage would've been a journey and a different experience than living in the palace, but I never knew it'd be like this. If I had to lead a kingdom, I had to be strong. I had to be strong for everyone.

But right now, I had to be strong for her. Sakura has nothing – her home she built got nearly burnt to the ground, and the people she had back at home were trying to kill her. I had to let go of everything, because her casting a spell on me isn't the end of the world. I had to drop every conflict and be strong for her. I know that she would've done the same for me.

I had to help people. Before you go big, you have to start small. This experience with Sakura right now, and whatever else in the future will be a good start in preparation into what I have in store in the future. I have to help her win this small war – because someday, I might be faced with a bigger conflict or decision.

"Come with me, Sakura." I held out my hand to her. "There's no use staying here anymore."

She looked back at what used to be her home, albeit a short-lived home, but for an amount of time, it was her home nonetheless. The last thing Sakura needed was to be alone. She needed people around her, to protect her. No one deserved to be treated this way, and no one deserved to live a life of danger and no one deserved to live in fear.

If the people chasing Sakura found out where she was staying, at least I could confront them and kick their ass. Their cowardly acts will not go unpunished; believe me.

"Where am I going to go?" She took my hand in hesitation.

"Away from here."

Somewhere along the way, our hands separated. Sakura had on her hood she wore earlier in the day when she was running away from people who were chasing her. She was cautious when she went into town and she explained to me she had to wear disguises in town or else people would recognize her and all things would go downhill from there. Of course, I never really pressed on further because that was her issue and problem and not mine. It would be wrong to intrude on something that didn't have to do anything with me. The irony is that I was now thrust into Sakura's world, her world of constant running and hiding.

It was now my duty to protect her. This was an assignment far more meaningful and exciting than what Eriol would've given me ever.

Speaking of Eriol, he's going to be surprised when he finds out I bring a girl home back to the house. I didn't know what to expect, but at this point? I didn't care either way.

* * *

**Authors Note:**

Hi everyone! Here's Sakura and Syaoran's first conflict together, haha. This story is far from over. Also, I've been getting comments that my story chapters are too short. I'm working on it, alright? This is slightly longer than my other chapters. I hope you enjoy! I promise to keep updating as close to daily as possible - and if worst comes to worst, you all can expect a weekly update.

Please review and read! I appreciate each comment no matter how silly, short, or even angry it is. Flames, criticism, good comments, compliments, a comment is a comment really! Thank you for the people who are reading my story.

After this fanfic, I'm going to be re-writing one of my old pieces of work. I just cringe looking at my old stories and the grammar, story structure, everything. I often wonder why I had 100 reviews on those things in the first place. I guess your mind processes differently when you're 11 years old versus when you're 20, huh?


	10. Chapter 10: Unwanted Union

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

* * *

**Chapter X: Unwanted Union**

* * *

I didn't know where I was going at this point and to be honest, anywhere was better than going back home. What I built and called as my own was nothing more than an unsafe place – and as much as I liked that place, it's nothing more than memories. As of very recent events, that burned down home was just a reflection on what was going on inside me: I was burned out and decaying. I had to swallow my pride and independence and let this Syaoran guy lead the way. I didn't know where to go or what to do, so I had to trust him.

He led me to an empty plot of land. There was literally nothing there! The neighbourhood was beautiful with lot of big houses – I've never actually been out this way before because I never ventured outside my home. This whole running away ordeal was actually the first time I've actually lived and seen somewhere else rather than being… home, you know? I've been out in town time to time, but I've always been with other people and I was never allowed to go out by myself. That's how it was and how it will always be.

As Syaoran led me into this empty plot of land, I started to see the nature of this place as I concentrated my mental energy and made an effort to see if there was something I couldn't physically see. I closed my eyes as Syaoran and I walked further in. I'm sure he didn't notice me, because he probably would have said something. If he did notice, I'm sure he thought I was tired. Truthfully, I was, but I was using the last ounces of my energy to try and see what was here.

Sure enough I felt a strong energy here. I also felt as if someone was watching me was well. It wasn't a cold and scary presence, but more of a friendly and familiar presence. It was as if my father was still around and watching me – that was the feeling. I felt as if my father was watching me, as if he were still alive. There was a slight difference to this feeling though, I knew whoever was watching me wasn't my father.

His spiritual energy sure did feel like fathers, though. It was impossible for it to be my father anyway, because my father was dead. It was a fact I slowly got over, but it still hurt me. Oddly enough though, I didn't feel hurt being here, but I felt safe. Just like when my father was around.

I slowly saw the plot of land fill up with a beautiful estate plotted on it. It was a huge mansion, just like the bigger houses around this neighbourhood, with a huge pond in the yard and a small bridge. There were many lovely statues and topiaries standing on this land, beautifying the property with its presence. The building was impressive, though not as impressive as back home, and not as big – but it was impossible for any building to have the same grandeur as the temple. There was ivy covering the manor's walls, it added a great character that contrasted the temple: clean, pristine and big.

I lightly gasped, again, Syaoran didn't really notice.

"We're here…" He opened the door. "Come inside." He made a hand motion for me to go in. "Ladies first." He bowed.

"…Thank you." I bowed back, quickly entering the manor. Syaoran made sure to look around and behind us before quickly coming in and locking the door.

"…Sakura?" A girl approached me. I knew from those same violet eyes that it was…

"Tomoyo?" I approached her and put my hand on her chin. She was the same as I've last seen her. It's been too long. This day became too overwhelming on both sides of the spectrum. From being rock bottom and feeling incredibly down and now I felt my body jolt in happiness. Finally, someone I knew! Someone who wasn't crazy! I started to cry as I threw my arms on her.

"Sakura? What are you doing here?" She started to stroke my hair. "You smell and look terrible."

"Thanks." I giggled.

"I didn't mean it that way, Sakura! You're covered in ashes and smoke… and you smell like smoke, too!" She looked at her dress that was now covered in ash as well. The smoke and ash from my clothes had clung onto Tomoyos. Of course, Tomoyo wasn't the person to freak out. Instead she gave a lighthearted laugh and looked at me with such caring eyes.

"What's going on?" Syaoran looked confused as he was shifting his view back and forth from Tomoyo and me. "Do you two know each other?"

"Sakura is my cousin." Tomoyo said. "I'll explain later… Sakura must be tired. We have to get you cleaned up! This isn't the Sakura I know." She pouted. Tomoyo took my hand and said to Syaoran, "I'm going to prepare a bath for Sakura. Why don't you go talk to Eriol or something in the mean time? I'm sure you can explain this situation…"

"Uh, okay." Syaoran scratched his head. "Actually, I'm going to go take a bath too. In another room, of course." He looked over to me in embarrassment, "I'm not going to impose on the female guest."

"We knew that, Syaoran." Tomoyo started to giggle again. "After the baths, maybe we could talk about what happened here."

"Yeah, please. I'm really confused." Syaoran rolled his eyes. "I have no idea what's going on with you two, but I guess we'll find out later."

"You also need to explain yourself anyway, Syaoran." Tomoyo glared at me. "What are you doing with the late Supreme-priests daughter anyway?"

I felt my heart drop. I wanted to slap Tomoyo's mouth – not out of spite but more out of annoyance. I didn't tell Syaoran that I was THE Supreme Priests' daughter for a reason! If I were just a regular priestess, fine, but now a title had been slapped to my name. A title I was trying to drop and escape from.

Syaoran couldn't have looked more confused as Tomoyo revealed that fact. She took me by my hand and led me to the bathing room.

I was thankful for Tomoyo being here. If I needed anyone in the world right now, I needed Tomoyo. My brother would've been nice too, or Yukito, or my father… but I couldn't see my father for obvious reasons. As for Touya and Yukito? I couldn't see them because they were back at the temple. It was already hard enough to keep coming to meet them in town in disguises each time, but it hurt all of us as well. I had to honour Touya's request to run away – and I knew it too, it was justified. I didn't want what was going to happen to me as much as Touya did. So I had to suck it up and face reality, and deal with the situation with what I have here.

I had Tomoyo.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"What are you doing here?" Tomoyo started up the tub and poured some hot water inside. Tomoyo was diligently testing the temperature of the water, making sure that everything was perfect for me. It was as if she hadn't left at all, it was typical Tomoyo, always putting others before herself. Once she gave me the signal to go in, I took off my clothes and got in the tub.

"It's a long story." I replied.

For the record, I've never been more comfortable with anyone as much as I had been with Tomoyo. Tomoyo seeing me naked was just a regular thing for both of us – and I've seen her unclothed as well. Although we were cousins, we were honestly like sisters. At her time at the temple, we spent every waking moment together. We trained our powers together and did every little thing together: from eating, to bathing, to sleeping, to talking. It was everything under the sun and more, and it was a friendship and sisterhood that was irreplaceable.

When Tomoyo left the temple a few years ago, I felt my heart rip open from my chest. The closest person in my life had left without a word… and she hadn't even bothered to write to me or tell me what she was doing. I felt hurt for years … but then my father died, it's like creating a whole new wound on top of the one that was slowly healing.

It didn't matter now, though. Tomoyo was here now. Like the dirt on my skin, all the hurt in my heart and the doubt was going to be washed away. In fact, it had already been washed away. Seeing her in the flesh, knowing that she was okay was all that mattered.

I've never been this happy in a long time, even if my day was a total wreck.

"I can listen." She took out the brush and started to detangle my hair. Afterwards, she poured water on my head and started to use her home-made shampoo. It's scent brought back an immense amount of nostalgia. I was melting in the tub. I sighed happily as she massaged my scalp.

"You cut your hair." She said sadly. "I remember when we had the same length of hair… all of those years worth of hair, all gone to waste!" She said dramatically.

"It's just hair, Tomoyo, it'll grow back." She was being dramatic over hair, I wonder how she'll react when she finds out what she's been missing for a few years… and of course, what just happened to me and Syaoran.

"I know, but it's just different to see your hair like this. At least you did somewhat of a decent job on cutting it yourself. Home-done haircuts almost usually turn out a disaster." Tomoyo poured some water on my head to rise off the lather from my hair. She took a bath brush and started scrubbing my back.

I was grateful, it was too long since someone took care of me like this. Not out of obligation like back in the temple with the temple maids – I actually had to tell them to go away because they did such a horrible job of everything I just did everything myself. With Tomoyo, she did it out of love and genuine care. Her happy aura just rubbed off on other people too, that's just how she was.

"I really missed you, you know." I said sadly to her. I turned around to look at her face and I could tell she recuperated the feelings. She stroked my head and nodded in agreement.

"I missed you too, Sakura." She smiled at me. "You don't even know how much… ever since mother…"

"I know, Tomoyo… I know." I put my hand on her arm. "I miss aunt Sonomi too… every single day. Along with mother and father."

"Uncle Fujitaka and Aunt Nadeshiko…" Tomoyo sighed. "Uncle Fujitaka passed on so suddenly and too soon."

I could tell Tomoyo was trying to fight the tears, and to be honest, so was I. I've had enough of mourning and crying over my parents death.

Aunt Sonomi had taken her own life after my mother had passed away. Aunt Sonomi and my late mother's relationship was similar to mine and Tomoyo's. Aunt Sonomi loved my mother very much, so much that when my mother finally couldn't fight her illness, aunt Sonomi had killed herself. I found it selfish, but at the same time I understood. As much as auntie loved Tomoyo, she was miserable in her marriage to one of the temple men I hadn't really known as he never spent time with any of us anyway. He was too busy with work and temple affairs anyway. Rumour has it that he has multiple wives and he didn't really prioritize Tomoyo's mother, which is why he was never present in Tomoyo's life, and to this day, is still not present. Which is why my father took Tomoyo in after her mothers death and raised her as his own daughter.

Tomoyo was raised in a loving environment, surrounded by people who loved her. I had always questioned why she left and I had been agonizing about it forever since she ran away from the temple. I wanted to find out the answer because not only had it hurt me, but I also needed the closure. I know it shouldn't matter because she is here now, but what could possibly drive her to run away?

I took a deep breath, it was now or nothing, Sakura.

Before I could speak, Tomoyo beat me to it.

"How is it back home, Sakura? Why aren't you home with your brother and Yukito?" Tomoyo's eyes stared into mine. "You never leave home… and you've never wanted to leave home. You know your brother needs you after your fathers death." She whispered.

"I know, Tomoyo… but it was actually Touya who told me to run away. Tomoyo's eyes widened at that fact and she was nodding slowly. I continued, "He found out something from the oracle that day he asked me to leave."

"What did he say?" Tomoyo moved in closer to me. She was getting anxious, I could tell. To be honest, so was I just retelling this story and instead of fear, I felt myself getting angry just remembering it.

"Well, first of all, the oracle told Touya that Tomo Eda is going to ask for my hand in marriage."

Tomoyo gasped. She too had gotten angry. We _hated_ Tomo Eda and his siblings. I had no problem with his parents, but with the Eda children… they were as nasty as ever. I had to admit they weren't bad on the eyes, but their personalities were grating and disrespectful. I often wondered why the Eda siblings had even been granted priesthood, when all I could've ever seen was darkness in their hearts and corruption.

"I hate Tomo Eda." I told Tomoyo as I angrily sank in the tub. "I could never marry him. Being married at this age is just… I'm not ready yet, even if I am considered an adult."

Tomoyo brought out the towel for me and sat on the stool beside the tub. She extended the towel to me, which I took first dried my hair, then I stepped out of the tub and dried my body. Tomoyo drained the tub from the bathwater and sighed.

"Sakura, there's something I have to tell you about the Haku Eda."

Haku Eda was Tomo Eda's older brother – he was considered the ugly sibling. I think I knew where this conversation was headed. I braced myself.

"Haku Eda asked for my hand in marriage too, shortly before I ran away from the temple." Tomoyo was staring at the wall deep in thought. I could tell that she was like me, often reminiscing the memories back home at the temple. I had realized that Tomoyo and I were one in the same, suffering the same fate.

When Tomoyo ran away, everyone went out to look for her and they never found her. Everyone knew that there had been no ferries lately, so Tomoyo couldn't have gotten away. Everyone kept searching for her but eventually they gave up—even though father and I didn't. There's only so much a Supreme Priest could do; sure my father was technically equivalent of the King here on the island, but it was also a democracy and what the rest of the temple didn't find suitable or useful, it was just shot down. So when Tomoyo hadn't been found for months, the search had been dropped much to my dismay. Everyone presumed she was dead. I knew she was out there though, and seeing Tomoyo here in front of me gave me hope. She had successfully escaped and was still living.

"I'm glad you successfully got away." I told her. "Somehow I knew you were still here."

She smiled at me, "Thank you, Sakura. I'm glad you're still here… now explain to me why you and Syaoran arrived home looking and smelling awful… and how did you two meet?" Her eyes started to glimmer. Tomoyo never brooded on a subject and always went to different topics right away. I was thankful to have someone like that in my life, to balance out my broodiness.

"It's a long story, like I said…"

I told her everything that happened. How Syaoran was following me, how I cast the sleep spell on him and how I took him home and took care of him for a bit. Tomoyo laughed because she wondered why Syaoran came home so late and that bit explained it. I told her how Syaoran got me flowers and Tomoyo totally started laughing at that too. I told her how Syaoran and I were running away from Tomo Eda's goons from the temple. I told her how Syaoran and I got into a petty argument and by the time we made up we had seen my house burn down. I told her how I took the remaining personal belongings I had left and that everything I left in that little house I built for myself had been reduced to nothing. Lastly, I told her how Syaoran found a note with the Eda family dagger along with it. Tomoyo told me how she was happy that I was alright despite all that, and I felt fortunate as well to be still living and being able to talk to her. It was quite a mouthful to tell her but it had to be done nonetheless.

"What about Tomo Eda?"

"I'm not marrying him, not in a million years."

"You know it's considered a sin to reject a marriage request… especially from an influential family like the Eda's. It's not only shameful for both parties, but also disrespectful." Tomoyo stated, "But knowing that, I have never looked back. I don't want to be in a loveless marriage like mother had to go through. I would much rather die than get married to those people." She clenched her fists. "As much as I missed you, Sakura, running away was the best thing that happened to me… it hurt me to think of the fact that I possibly could never see you again, but I knew you'd find a way."

I nodded.

"I have a new life here. I don't have to adhere to some stupid dress code or rules because of becoming a priestess. I never wanted that life in the first place, Sakura."

"Neither did I, to be honest with you." I told her. "I don't regret it, though. I love having magic and being able to help people and spread good, but at the same time all the rules and obligations seem like … they want women to live an unhappy life."

"Your parents were the only exception to that." Tomoyo sighed. "Even though they were an arranged marriage, I've never seen a couple living at that stupid temple being so happy. I knew that a loveless life wasn't for me… and I knew my mother would've supported me if she were still here. The only reason why she didn't leave was because of your mother… she loved your mother very much."

"I know. I can't fathom living a life without love, now that I've seen mother and father. The reason why everyone else at the temple found it easy to let go of their feelings, rights and emotions on marriage was because they've never grown up to know and appreciate a loving family. A two sided family—instead of one parent raising the child for all its life."

"Right, and I didn't want to be a trophy to Haku Eda. He has other wives." Tomoyo sneered in disgust. "Illegitimate wives, I'm sure, but since I was closer to your family, he of course would've wanted his marriage to me a huge spectacle and all. I'm pretty sure if you accepted Tomo's hand in marriage, it'd just be the same affair."

I nodded in agreement. Tomoyo and I could've gone on and on about how miserable we would've been if we were to marry onto the Eda family. A loveless marriage would mean a loveless life until you died. The only thing that would bind the family together would be the prospect of children, but even then, most of the families living at the temple had the mothers raising them.

The temple was a whole new world compared to the rest of the island. There were different rules and different ways of living, and I envied that fact that people on the island did not have to adhere to such customs. I had to obey most of the rules because I had to keep an image, because I was a priestess, because I had taken an oath. I had to keep an image that I was wholesome and a good girl. Not only because I was to be the next high priestess (my mother had only been the first high priestess ever in history, as she possessed great powers as well) but I was the daughter of the Supreme Priest Fujitaka Kinomoto. My name, my rank and my title had this air of prestige to it and I had to live up to these ridiculous expectations. Tomo Eda hadn't asked me for his hand in marriage yet, but I knew he wouldn't hesitate to ask me. I knew that it was the Eda family behind the whole house burning thing, and I knew that he was out to get me. If I wouldn't be his wife, and if I had humiliated him in front of everyone in Ling Shi, I might as well be dead to him, no matter what my title was in this whole confusing hierarchy. If he couldn't have me, no one could. Touya knew Tomo Eda since birth and Touya knew if Tomo Eda didn't get what he wanted, chaos ensued. He wasn't like the regular guys out there – he was an evil man hiding behind a holy title, which I consider sacrilege and an insult to priesthood. Since Touya knew of this fact, he told me to run away. He told me he'd come and have secret meetings with me to check up on me. He'd give me my allowances every week while we met at different secret spots. Touya told me he'd rather see me happy than miserable.

I just wondered how Touya was after all this drama. I didn't want to put any other people in danger. Heck, I even put Syaoran in danger and I've only known him for a few days.

"I'd never be his wife or his little maiden." I said angrily.

"You'll be safe here, Sakura. Eriol has kept me safe since I ran away, and I'm sure he will too." She smiled and gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. I looked at her with arched eyebrows.

"Who's Eriol?" I said coyly.

"The man who owns this house." Tomoyo said as a matter-of-factly.

"Oh, _really?_" I nudged her side with my shoulder. Tomoyo's face went from a pale porcelain colour to a deep shade of red.

"…Yes! That's all!" She started to play with her long black hair. Playing with hair was a habit both Tomoyo and I shared.

"Uh huh." I told her. "Okay." I wasn't going to press on the issue further as it made her uncomfortable. Besides, if Tomoyo did like this Eriol guy, I had to approve of him first! Tomoyo deserves nothing but the best, and if this guy didn't meet my standards… he was as good as Haku Eda would've ever been.

"Come on, Sakura, enough of this depressing talk about marriage. We're young ladies, we shouldn't be even talking about marriage!" She started to laugh. "We have our whole lives ahead of us now that we're both gone from the temple. We can start over fresh!"

"Easy for you to say, Tomoyo. You don't have an older brother stuck back there. He's also not in the position to leave, seeing as he's the next Supreme Priest and all. He has no choice but to stay… or else other people would take over and corrupt everything and everyone."

"Yeah, I suppose. Your father's legacy is something I'd like Touya to continue. Your father knew how to be kind to the citizens and be fair and not be so power hungry and harsh. He was a really good man."

"Also," I added, "He knew how to separate the affairs from the temple away from the people. Even though the temple stressed him out, he still was able to lead Ling Shi and keep everyone happy."

"Okay, okay, Sakura. I mean it. Let's just drop this whole thing… you've had a rough day and we need to see smiles on your pretty face." She took my arm, "Let's go to your room!"

"My room?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure Eriol won't mind, it's the room right across from mine!" She cooed. "Besides, I've been doing a lot of sewing but I haven't gotten anyone to wear my clothes… Nakuru doesn't really care much for clothes." She pouted.

"Nakuru?"

"You'll meet Eriol and Nakuru soon enough after you get dressed. Let's go!"

"Tomoyo, wait!" I shouted.

"What?"

"I didn't even wrap my towel around me, and I don't even have a robe!"

Tomoyo apologized profusely and immediately ran out the bathing room, to return seconds later with a pink bath robe for me. "I knew sewing excessive amounts of clothes would come in handy." She giggled.

We ventured off to my new room and boy, it was just like my room at the temple. It was huge, but it did have a different feeling to it. It lacked the 'holiness' and 'wholesome' factor that my old room had. In contrast this place had a fancy feeling to it, but also a welcoming one as well. This new room of mine consisted of a huge bed with 4 huge beams on each corner, and on top of the bed there was a nice light chiffon-like fabric draping the top of the bed and the sides. The windows here were nice and big and since it was on the top floor of the house, there was a nice view of the island and the little town as opposed to being in the temple with small windows and being on ground level.

The furniture had nice accents on them and I applaud whoever made these for having such good craftsmanship. I opened my wardrobe to already find clothes stocked in them already. My surprised expression must've been funny to Tomoyo as she was giggling away as I gasped at the amount of clothing here.

"I guess when I have nothing to do, I get carried away." She giggled.

"I'll say, it's as if you expected me to come back." I laughed. I took a white dress out of the closet. It was a soft beautiful dress with pleating at the bottom part of the dress, while the top was just cut simply. Enough to have some modesty, but it was pretty though I found it was a bit tame compared to what Tomoyo usually made for me back at the temple.

At the temple we had to adhere to an annoying dress code of red and blue – or if you were higher up like my father and brother, you could wear white; not solid white; but white robes with some decorative accents on it. I had always gravitated to the white colour because it was less busier than red or blue and it just seemed so free.

When Tomoyo saw me pick out the white dress she let out an excited squeal. I think she had been waiting for this day, as arrogant of me it was to say it.

I slipped on the dress and looked in the mirror. Tomoyo helped me zip up the dress and adjust it. With a sing-song voice, Tomoyo yelled, "You look gorgeous!"

"Thanks." I beamed. "You always knew how to make the prettiest clothes."

"Oh, thank you, Sakura! I really appreciate that. Back in the day I thought you'd be annoyed at being my guinea pig."

"I had to admit, yes it got kind of irritating, but at the end of the day if it made you happy, I'm happy too." I smiled. "Plus, I like to encourage your hobby as you encouraged my hobby of painting."

"When I ran away from the temple I still have that painting you made me." Tomoyo said. "It's one of my prized possessions."

"That's really thoughtful, Tomoyo. I kept your ribbons you made me, when I still had really long hair to tie them into at least. I keep them with me wherever I go."

Tomoyo giggled and took my hand and led me to the vanity. I sat down on the stool and she proceeded to brush my hair. She made the occasional comments on how she liked to braid my hair and she still kept prodding me over the issue of me cutting my hair. I felt cutting my hair was justified because one of my identifying features was my long, flowy hair. I knew if I cut it off that there was less of a chance of people recognizing me around town.

"Let's go downstairs. I know it's late and all to eat, but you and Syaoran must be famished after what you two went through. Besides, I owe him an explanation as to how I know you."

I nodded. I wasn't really tired anyway, and besides, I wanted to introduce myself to this Eriol guy and everyone else in the house for welcoming me.

**xXxXxXxXx**

After Tomoyo had escorted me down the huge winding spiral staircases, we made our way down to the dining area. A temple being huge was justified, but a house this big was ridiculous! There were so many stairs, rooms and hallways. It could've easily been a labyrinth, I was so lucky I had Tomoyo here or otherwise, knowing me, I would've been lost.

"Eriol!" The moment she came into contact with Eriol, Tomoyo's hand jerked me into his direction. I felt her excitement and I had to laugh inside about it. Tomoyo liked a guy and I was about to see who it was.

The guy known as Eriol must've been the guy sitting beside Syaoran. Eriol was wearing a white button up shirt with a white cravat, and on top was a navy blue blazer with gold buttons. I knew just by looking at him he was a man of influence and importance by the way he dressed, because no one else in town or in the temple dressed like him. He had short dark hair and blue eyes, and glasses. As he looked at me he gave me a kind smile, and I couldn't help for a moment but notice he reminded me of someone, and the feeling I immediately got for him was a familiar and soft feeling.

It reminded me of Yukito… no, this feeling reminded me as if I were around father. I looked over at Tomoyo, whose eyes were sparkling just at the mere presence of this Eriol guy.

"This is Eriol Hiiragizawa." Tomoyo introduced us. "Eriol, this is my cousin, Sakura Kinomoto."

"Oh, I've heard about you." He said in a sly voice. "Tomoyo talks a lot about you."

"Hey!" Tomoyo snapped at Eriol. "You're embarrassing me!"

"It's the truth." Eriol laughed. Syaoran was staring at me and it made me feel weird, so I took a seat across from him. Perhaps it was my dress?

"Hi, Syaoran." I whispered.

"Hello Sakura." He replied.

"I take it you two already have gotten acquainted?" Eriol put his two hands together and smiled. Tomoyo took a seat across from him as well.

"Didn't Syaoran tell you?" Tomoyo said.

"I guess the jist of it." Eriol said. Then he turned to me and smiled, "Not only have I heard so much about you from Tomoyo, but you're the talk of the town, your lady Priestess." He bowed his head. "I'm honoured to be at your presence."

"What?" Syaoran looked over to me, then at Eriol.

"Haven't you heard?" Eriol said. "Priestess Sakura Kinomoto has gone missing from the temple for quite some time now and not only have temple people been looking for her, but now citizens are as well because there's a reward involved.

I gasped. "…A reward for finding me?" I started to tremble.

"Don't worry, Priestess. You're safe here, I guarantee it. As long as you stay in this manor, no one will be able to touch you."

I nodded. "Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Hiiragizawa."

Eriol sipped his tea and afterwards put his hand on his chin, eyeing me carefully. "Call me Eriol, my Priestess."

"Sakura is fine." I bowed my head. "Anyone who welcomes me with such open arms deserves to have my friendship."

"So… you're the priestess that everyone's been searching for?" Syaoran gave me a hard gaze. "I knew that portrait of you looked familiar. The girl in it looked just like you, except she had long flowing hair and was dressed in really extravagant clothing." He noted. "I didn't say anything, even though they had asked me prior to when we have met, but it was also because I didn't know anyway."

"Thank you, Syaoran. I appreciate the fact you did not turn me in, even though it seemed like I am a criminal."

He raised his eyebrow at me. "Criminal?"

"I am considered one now, for having run away from the temple." I sighed. "It's against the rules and they will do whatever it takes to find me."

"Since she's the late Supreme Priests' daughter, everyone will be looking for her. If not for the reward, but also the fact Sakura is really important to the people and politics here. In fact, us hiding Sakura is also a criminal offense." Tomoyo took my hand and started rubbing it, "But I was also an escapee from the temple and I know how it's like for Sakura. We'll keep her here as long as it needs to be."

I was thankful to be surrounded by such supporting people. I couldn't thank them enough, especially Syaoran and Eriol.

"I see. So you are from the temple too?" Syaoran asked. Tomoyo and I both nodded and then Tomoyo decided to explain to Syaoran my relation and her relation with the temple, what relation we had with each other and what she went through. Syaoran looked so surprised to hear everything she had been saying, and I sensed from his energy that he was getting angry just hearing about it. I suppose from where he's from, they have more freedom than us.

Even though we were of holy blood, as I was a descendant of Clow Reed, I had less freedom than the townspeople did. This was my fight to be free and to be happy – even if I were breaking all the rules. Besides, I wasn't breaking anything from the oath. Running away and refusing marriage from a fellow priest was not against the oath because it did not endanger or cause harm to people on Ling Shi.

I believed it was the opposite. I believed Tomo Eda and the Eda families are only trying to get our hand in marriage to get closer to the Supreme Priest title, and perhaps the prospect of ruling Ling Shi. If he was to become my husband and if Touya were never to bear a child and he passes on, the title goes onto the next in line for the title. Women could not become Supreme Priests because it was a title only for men – thus it'd go to her husband. I couldn't let a hateful person become the Supreme Priest… it'd just become too chaotic, and I would never be able to forgive myself.

After our brief summary of everything, I had explained to Eriol how Syaoran and I met. I suppose Eriol and Tomoyo found it comical, and Syaoran found it extremely embarrassing, from the way his face looked. Of course, it wasn't comical when I had told him some idiots who I believed to be the goons for the Eda family had burned my house down. It was over now, though. I was here and I wasn't going anywhere.

For the first time, I felt free and happy.

* * *

**Authors Note:**

Hmmm, introduction of the problem! There's going to be conflicts and rocky roads up ahead for both Sakura and Syaoran. But it's nice to see Sakura has one person she knows in her chaotic life right now. Priests are considered really higher-up people on Ling Shi, and this will all be explained further in later chapters. This is probably my longest chapter for this story to date, I am trying to make it longer, but here it is for you.

Let me know what you think, please leave a review. I know some of you read out there, I can see in my story stats, haha! It'd be highly appreciated.


	11. Chapter 11: The Other Teacher

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**XI: The Other Teacher**

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Sakura had adjusted to this place very well. Barely even 2 weeks and she knew where everything was and which room was which. That was impressive because I've been at this manor for roughly going on 2 months and I only really knew my room, Tomoyo's room, Sakura's room, Eriol's room, the library and the dining-kitchen area. So there you go, I suppose I'm pretty pathetic in that aspect. Even back at the palace I didn't know where everything was and I have lived there for most of my life.

Training with Eriol has gotten a bit better, he actually taught me how to channel my energy to distort things, such as bending objects and eventually destroying them. I didn't really see the point, but at least it was better than nothing. Eriol wasn't much of a fighter with swords so I unfortunately had to practice alone, but sometimes he'd make some target practices or he would be the target sometimes, ha.

"It's only been a handful of days since I've gotten here, but you've really improved." Sakura approached me after my training session. I was rubbing my head with a clean towel and it was only then did I notice her standing there all along, watching me and Eriol practice. She gave me a smile but I looked away. I was caught off guard and no one really watched me practice, not even Tomoyo.

"Ah… thanks." I looked at the ground. "I didn't notice you were here."

"I didn't want to make myself visible because it'd distract you." She reasoned. "Lunch is ready, Tomoyo and I made you and Eriol a meal since you two have been at it since sunrise."

"…Alright, thank you." I told her. To be honest, even though I was the one who had brought her here, it just felt weird to have her around in the house. I mean, it's not like Sakura and I got into any conflicts. Maybe we'd occasionally argue who'd get the last piece of dessert but she'd let me have it anyway. It was different having a different presence in the house, it wasn't a bad thing, but I didn't know what it was about her.

Sakura and I both walked into the house, and as usual, we were having a little chatter. She'd tell me about her day and I would tell her about mine. I was happy for her, though. Her mood has certainly changed and become uplifted ever since she had arrived here. Occasionally, though, she'd sneak off into town as usual without telling any of us… but as long as she got home safely that's all that mattered.

This place was not just my home or Tomoyo's home or Eriol's home, but it was everyone's. It was Sakura's home too, and when she's not around we all worry. That's how it was. Especially now that we know there's a bunch of psychopaths chasing her and all.

"Sakura! Come help me!" Tomoyo said to Sakura. Sakura ran up to her cousin and nodded and the two went to the kitchen. As usual, since Nakuru was gone to do Eriol's dirty work around town (also known as doing Eriol's errands for him) it was just me and Eriol sitting at the dining room table waiting to be served. To this day it still makes me uncomfortable to be served and not be helping, but there was no use fighting with Tomoyo… and now that Sakura was in the picture, it'd be impossible for me to argue with both women.

"Isn't Sakura cute?" Eriol suddenly said, taking a sip of his daily portion of wine. His question caught me by surprise. I didn't know what to say so I just nodded shyly and slowly, looking at my glass of water.

"… I guess she is." I said afterwards. "It's nice to see Tomoyo with someone else besides us."

"Mmhm, the energy here has definitely gotten… cheerier and happier, hasn't it?" Eriol adjusted his glasses and took another swig of wine.

"Is she really safe here, Eriol? What if those temple people go out and try to look for her again and burn your house down next?" I was worried this would happen. Now I knew Eriol had worked hard to maintain this house, and to see it get burned down would be a shame. However, this fact didn't phase Eriol at all.

He shook his head and gave a light chuckle. His tone got slightly serious as he looked over to me sternly, "As long as Sakura doesn't leave the house and stays here, she will be safe. I guarantee you."

"How can that be?" I asked. "Besides, what if some people go knocking on your door? I've already seen it happen around town already."

"They won't." He said confidently. "Just trust me."

I raised my eyebrow at him. Yeah, trust Eriol. The reason why I was in this forsaken place was because of Eriol. My training had been further delayed because of Eriol. The reason why I got all hurt and beat up here was because of Eriol telling me to check the Tomoeda ruins!

Then again, if I didn't trust Eriol, it'd mean I didn't trust mother. I trusted my mother's judgment, but this man was just plain peculiar and strange to say the least. He would be the last person I'd send off to go train me.

So I just nodded and went along with Eriol. I wanted to believe it, but sometimes life can unexpectedly change according to plan.

I mean… I was supposed to be in Tomoeda and then home within a few months or a year, but now I was in this unknown place called Ling Shi and I had no idea how I was going to go home and when. All the letters I sent to my mother went unanswered, but then I realized how could letters get all the way to Heung Gong when even people couldn't get out of the island. Could pigeons truly carry those letters all the way across the sea? I still wrote my mother letters about where I was and how strange these turns of events would be. It's been weeks, and usually my mother would send a letter within a few days. I never gave up, though.

"We're here!" Sakura and Tomoyo came back with fresh baked bread and eggs and mass quantities of milk and fruit. Usually it would just be bread and maybe some sliced fruit, but since it was a Sunday, it would usually be the day when we had the heavier and more delicious meals of the week. It was Sakura's second Sunday with us and it certainly was livelier than the other Sundays. The table wasn't just Tomoyo talking or Tomoyo asking me questions; instead the table would be full of conversation, laughter and spirit.

When Sakura laughed and talked to Eriol and Tomoyo, I couldn't help but sneak some looks at her. She looked totally in her element, and totally happy.

Tomoyo was happy too – and she also kept herself busy by sewing like mad. I think in a span of 2 days Tomoyo made about 3 dresses. It may seem like nothing, but when hands are the only tools you have, it was quite an impressive feat. Besides training and meals, one of the things I looked most forward to is what Sakura would wear today? It was one of the more interesting things to see because Tomoyo would come up with weird designs – sometimes a hit, sometimes a miss. It was a good thing Sakura was pretty, or 'cute' as Eriol said it. It really would bring out the good in the outfits instead of the negative aspects because there would be a pretty girl to model the clothing. Of course, I never really outwardly told her that she was pretty or beautiful. I'd give her quick glances so I wouldn't weird her out, and then look away so I wouldn't end up staring. She truly was beautiful though.

Sakura wasn't like the girls in Heung Gong. In fact, she wasn't like Meiling. As close as Meiling was to me, Meiling had a nasty attitude. In fact, she was selfish. She was a lot like me in a way. Admittedly, I am a selfish person. It's something I've been trying to change because being a _good_ leader and King wasn't about being selfish, but in fact it was the contrary, and it was about being _selfless_ and caring about the good of the people.

Taking Sakura in and actually bothering to help her with her house burning down was probably the first selfless thing I've done. Giving her flowers wasn't selfless; and in fact it was about my pride. It wasn't honourable to have something such as your life be tended to, and then not give a reward. It'd go against my beliefs and my inner morals. If I didn't give her some sort of token of appreciation or thanks, it wouldn't benefit me because I felt guilty for not having given her anything in the first place.

Therefore, when I helped Sakura, it wasn't about my pride, or me but it was about helping her. Going through blankets of smoke and acting out of impulse wasn't my style – I preferred to watch through the sidelines. No, I wanted to do good for someone not out of a favour, but because I wanted to; because I wanted to put someone else ahead of me.

Meiling was also very spoiled and arrogant, again, a lot like me. She was basically my twin in personality. I was working against becoming spoiled, and that was what separated me and Meiling. She was arrogant to the bone and always gloating. Her pride and ego was so big that it put mine to shame.

That was the exact reason why Meiling would _not_ make me a good wife, or a good queen. Someone selfless and genuinely good would be a good fit for a queen – and yes, it would've been someone like Sakura. I am not implying I wanted Sakura as my Queen at all. From what it seemed like, Sakura was equally important here in Ling Shi, no matter how much she wanted to escape from the temple. She, like me, was bound to invisible strings to our roles. Even though Sakura wasn't at the temple, her past and everything to do with her revolved around that fact. As was mine as well. My whole personality, my being, my existence, and even me being here was a result of my upbringing and environment. If I had to choose a queen, it'd have to be a woman from Heung Gong, or at least a woman who possessed Sakura's good qualities and was not tied to another place.

**xXxXxXxXx**

After lunch was over, I headed outside to sit down on the bench that sat across the pond. I never really did explore this part of Eriol's estate, but something here seemed familiar. The pond had lotuses and lilies prettily floating atop the water. Underneath the water were some koi fish swimming along. There was a wooden bridge that led to a marble building, in which it appeared to be a prayer building of some sort. Many of the houses here, I noticed, had prayer buildings in each yard. I suppose Eriol's wasn't any different.

I couldn't make out what seemed so familiar about this place. It felt like I was here before, even though I strongly remember I wasn't. I shook my head and sighed. My head wasn't really in focus today. Perhaps I ate too much at lunch.

"Syaoran?" A familiar voice said from behind me. "Can I sit here?"

I turned around and saw two green eyes staring at me along with her shy smile. I took a quick glance at what she was wearing, and of course, it was another Tomoyo creation. Sakura was wearing a light yellow sleeveless sun dress with a light green ribbon cinching at her waist. I suppose I was staring at her when Sakura kept calling my name.

"Syaoran? Syaoran?" Sakura waved her hands in front of my face. I started to feel my face get hot. At least it was appropriate to stare at someone from afar and not directly in their face.

I nodded, giving her permission to sit beside me. I scoot over to the left side so Sakura could take a seat beside me. She sat down and started swinging her legs forward and backwards, something I used to do as a child. Now that I was older and taller, I no longer had the luxury of being able to dangle my legs from above the ground and swing them around.

"Thanks for the meal, Sakura." I complimented. "You and Tomoyo make the best food."

"Ah, really? Thanks." She brushed her hair away from her face. Her cheeks turned a light rose colour.

"I've been meaning to tell you something, Syaoran." She looked over to me seriously. I wonder what could have it been? So I turned to her face-to-face, ready to listen.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Your training." She paused. "You could do a lot better." She smirked all the sudden. I almost wanted to fall over to the side. _She_ was criticizing my training? It could've gone both ways – it could've been a backhanded comment towards Eriol or me. Either way, she was butting her business into something personal. I wasn't angry at all, but I certainly was surprised she'd make an observation like that.

"Remember what I told you about being neutral and being emotionally attached to things?"

I nodded. I remembered. In fact, I remembered that she said it was because of her being upset that the perpetrators were able to go through her magic and then find her house, eventually burning it down.

"I can sense there's lots on your mind." She paused. "I have many powers thanks to magic, but unfortunately I can't read minds, but… I could tell that when you use your magic, you are thinking."

"You need to think about your strategy." I replied. "You can't just carelessly use magic."

"That's true, but a true master can cast magic out of instinct. When the mind is clear, the body is just a vessel for the magic to freely flow through, you know? Like the magic is the one doing it's own thing, but it's the correct thing."

I didn't really understand what she was saying but from the look of her face, she was dead serious. I raised an eyebrow. I was skeptical about what she was saying, but then again when I thought about it… she did possess great magical skills. I mean, it must've been a great talent for someone to cast a spell so people would walk in a continuous loop if anyone tried to get to her house, and I wouldn't even dream of being able to summon a whirlpool of water out of nowhere and douse a burning house with water at my level. She was good, but was she _that good?_

Eriol was useless, I decided. I mean, he wasn't too useless since he and Tomoyo took care of me and all, and I have learned how to control myself and the basics – but I wanted to get better. Training at Eriol's pace was training at tortoise speed. I wanted more. I was greedy for progress and knowledge. At this point, anyone was better than Eriol – and training by myself even proved to be more useful than he was.

I decided to bite the bullet and ask Sakura if perhaps she could give me some pointers. She seemed to have a better grasp at this whole magic thing than Eriol. At least Sakura was kind enough to observe and even give criticism. Eriol never pointed out my mistakes, but rather just told me to watch what I was doing. I had nothing to lose, really. Sakura must be bored enough to watch me train… I mean, when I watch Meiling train sometimes it got tedious and boring.

The only thing was my pride was getting in the way. Yes, she is skilled, but she was just a priestess. How much could a priestess know about my kind of training? Was she strong enough to be rigorous? Was she harsh enough to give decent training? I needed a trainer, a master, not a friend. Was she able to differentiate that?

I shook my head. Screw it. If it doesn't work out, nothing will change anyway. As I said, I had nothing to lose. I was about to go against my mother's wishes for training with Eriol, but I guess this was my cue to branch out and try different things.

"Hey, Sakura…"

"Hmmm?" She looked up at me. "What is it, Syaoran?"

Goodbye, pride and independence.

"Will you… help me?" I felt my ears get hot. I know I shouldn't be embarrassed, but I was. I was never used to asking people for help. It was always Syaoran who was the best back home, people asked me for help, but now the tables have turned. Swallowing my pride was like trying to swallow an oversized tablet of medicine. It was painful and bitter to swallow, but if I wanted to get better, I had to do it for my own good.

"Help you with what?" Sakura was so innocent… and dense. I guess for a girl with knowledge, she wasn't very keen in social skills.

"Training." I lowered my head and looked in her confused green eyes, "Will you help me with my training?"

Her eyebrows arched and her mouth formed a circle. "…M-me?" She stuttered. "You're asking me for help with your training?"

"You seem to know what you're doing…" I put my hands behind my head and leaned against the bench. "It feels so stagnant when I'm training with Eriol. I need to move forward… and since I know no one on this island except you and Eriol, and since you both possess a good power of skills, I figured I should ask."

"But Eriol's your master!" She started to get red as well. "I'm no good at all!"

"I know, but as I said… it's slow, and I think he prefers to spend time reading or spending time with Eriol lately." I shrugged and then smirked. "Besides, you seem bored enough to come and watch me."

"Hmmm…" Sakura smiled slyly. "You know, Tomoyo has been dying to spend even _more_ time with Eriol." She started to giggle mischievously, "Why not?" She clapped her hands together. "I do have to remind you of something, though."

"What's that?" I smiled at her. I didn't care at this point because she agreed – and maybe this was good for me. I would get to spend more time with her.

Okay, nevermind. What was I thinking? I mean, I'd like to get to know her, but this wasn't a ploy because I wanted to spend _time_ with her. I just needed a change, and I quite honestly needed another taste of the spectrum because Eriol's side was getting dull. It was time to go against my own set or rules and try something different.

"I'm a priestess… not a teacher." She said sternly. Her big green eyes were intense, I felt like she was trying to read into me again. It was something I couldn't look away from. For one, she looked 'cute' when she looked serious, and two, green was my favourite colour. Her eyes were a lovely shade of green and it was always quite a joy to be able to look at them from up close.

"With that said, I'm sorry if I screw up, okay? I'm going to try my best with this new experience."

"I'm not expecting you to act like a grand master. I just want to learn from you; that's all, as a person… and not as a friend."

"I'm going to try my best." She took my hand, "Don't be mad at me if I go to rough on you." She teased.

At the moment, I didn't know she was even capable of being rough or anything but kind and sweet Sakura.

For the following weeks to come, I was proven wrong.

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

Eriol didn't mind that I asked him for a break so I could train with Sakura. In fact, Tomoyo and Eriol told me that it would be nice if we spent some time together anyway. Eriol told me that if I came crying home to him, he'd laugh. I didn't know what that even meant – but I do now. Tomoyo had come into my room before the first day I'd train with Sakura and she told me that Sakura was a really strong priestess, but also a formidable magician as well.

The first day of training, Sakura already had me beat. She told me she wanted to see how I could form some fireballs and attempt to hit her. I hesitated and told her I didn't want to hit her because it was just poor etiquette and manners to even lay hands on a woman, let alone a priestess.

"You know, Syaoran. This is why you're not at your potential. You're holding back too much!" She shot a fireball directly onto my arm. Thankfully it didn't hurt as much, but I felt the heat hit my skin. I clutched onto my sword and kept my ground. I didn't want to hit a girl, I really didn't.

"Come on, Syaoran!" She shot another one right at me – except that one hurt. I didn't get burned, but man, it made me wince. "Attack me!"

"No!" I replied. "I thought you were going to teach me how to use magic – not attacking each other!"

"If you want to use magic, you have to use it in _any_ situation." She took out a card from her sack that she always carried. "You need to let go and stop hesitating. Free your inhibitions. Free yourself. Free yourself from any attachment from this world. Every thought, worry – everything. The only thing you should think about is not the what ifs, but the present. Only the present. The only task at hand." She yelled and got into her throwing position again. This time, the fireball was big.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. I remembered the spell Eriol taught me, the spell that I learned in which I could distort objects and if I got better at it, even time itself. I cleared my mind of everything, except the present; the fact that a fireball was going to slam right into me. I pointed my hand towards the ball of flames and rotated my hand. Suddenly, the heat and energy I felt from the fireball stopped as it flung back to Sakura. She nimbly dodged it and smiled at me.

"Good. Do you see what I mean? Clearing your mind from the past and the future and from any doubt will strongly help you." She raised her hand up with the card. I knew it was trouble – whenever she used one of those cards, she meant it.

"I know we're supposed to be training magic…" She giggled, "If you want to be able to use magic in any form, you have to adapt to the circumstances and whatever is being _thrown _at you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means… you have to dodge and run away from things if you want to successfully counter someone's attack." She yelled, "Arrow!"

Before I knew it, a barrage of arrows came after me. Following Sakura's words, I started to run for my life. Each corner I turned, the arrows seemed to follow. I had to think of a way on how to successfully counter her – but I couldn't. It was hard to clear my mind when you have about a hundred pointy things just waiting to skewer you. I had to think – I couldn't run away forever. I had to act fast. I stopped abruptly and thrust both my hands forward, as if I were trying to make a force field. I tried to concentrate all my energy and spiritual energy into making a barrier. Right before my eyes, I saw a light shield form before me, causing the arrows to bounce off. However, I caught myself off-guard by celebrating too soon in my head. I broke Sakura's golden rule of thinking while casting magic – and doing the reverse hit me; literally. The remaining arrows had hit me, and yes, it hurt.

"Syaoran!" Sakura screamed. The arrows disappeared as she ran towards me. Before I knew it, I had cuts all over my body and I was bleeding.

"Oh my goodness." Her eyes widened. "I didn't know this would happen… I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright, it's not completely your fault." I winced as I looked at the blood flowing down on my arm. "You had too much confidence in me. I'm still getting used to letting go of my mind."

"Sssh. Just relax and lay down." She knelt down on the grass. I complied with her request and I laid down. I looked up at her as she smiled down at me with an apologetic expression. She stroked my cheek to reassure me everything was going to be alright. I wasn't going to lie… having a bunch of arrows strike you all at once hurt.

"Close your eyes." Sakura whispered.

I did as she said. I closed my eyes and tried to relax my mind. The feeling afterwards was familiar to me, it was a similar spell Eriol had done on me when I first became conscious here on Ling Shi. Sakura was healing me and I knew this because I felt it. My body filled with this warm positive energy I couldn't quite explain in words, but soon I felt energized and the wounds that were once there were now closed up. The only remnants left were the remaining streaks of blood that had previously flowed out of the wounds. Sakura took a cloth out of her sack and started wiping off the blood.

"I'm sorry again, Syaoran. I shouldn't be too hard on you next time." She started rubbing my hands. No one ever really was affectionate towards me like this before – you know, a touchy-feely kind of approach. There was the aggressive tackling and hugging I got from both Meiling and my older sisters, but this was more of a warm and comforting touch I got from Sakura. It felt really nice. I didn't say anything and kept my eyes closed, enjoying the warmth that was present.

Then I felt Sakura lay down beside me, because I felt the side of her body touch mine. We were both parallel to each other now, but not looking at each other. As I had my eyes closed, Sakura's eyes were watching the clouds float by in the sky.

"I wonder if the sky looks like this in other places." She turned her head over to me, expecting a response. She knew I wasn't from here.

"It is." I told her. I opened my eyes to look at the clouds as well. "There's some days where I just used to lay down by myself on the grass in the palace garden and just watch the clouds underneath the tree, when I needed to get away from everything."

"I see." Sakura was silent for a few minutes. "I wish I could've had the freedom to do that, to go outside."

"You don't have a garden back at your temple?"

"We did, but I wasn't allowed to leave the temple. None of us were. That's why I spent so much time with my brother, Yukito and Tomoyo." She sighed. "With such limited things we could do around the place, all we had was each other, you know?" She turned to her side, supporting her head with her hand. "What about you? What did you do growing up? Besides training and all."

"Well, I spent time with my sisters…" I said. "I'd go to school, but I was only taught by the teacher mother hired. We were allowed on palace property, which included the gardens, but we weren't allowed to go into the cities until we were teenagers."

"Hmm, at least you got to go into the cities." She said enviously.

"It wasn't all that great. I had to sneak out sometimes by myself because if I had to go out in town, I'd have to be with my sisters, but that included being surrounded by other castle guards. So every time we entered town, all eyes were on us."

"I've only been out of the temple when it was big island events." Sakura laid back on the ground. "We had to dress in really fancy temple garbs and walk around town like some… object. Everyone admired us, but that was it. I never really felt like a person when I walked down the streets here. I was just my father's daughter – I was just the prized jewel of the family. I mean my family treated me well, but besides that? I was just a person with a flashy label plastered on me."

I didn't say anything because I didn't know what to say. I was more of a listener and truth be told, I liked to listen to Sakura speak. It was a melodic soothing voice that I enjoyed to listen to. I closed my eyes again, just letting the cool breeze hit my body and face and the sounds of nature take over.

"I think escaping was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Why's that?"

"I miss Touya and Yukito, but I know they're watching over me. I mean… we do keep in touch from time to time." She said. "They want me to be happy, and sometimes… I'm tired of putting others, putting the rules over myself. For once I just want to be considered as a person with feelings and not just a fancy object or a pawn."

Sakura then laid beside me and put her arms around me. She buried her head into my chest and whispered, "Thank you for setting me free."

I jerked a bit because I was caught off guard. I felt my face becoming hotter than it ever had been before, and my heart seemed to want to pop out of my chest. For a few moments, I let her give me that hug. Afterwards, I gently removed her off of me and I turned to the side, facing away from Sakura.

"I guess… training session is over for today." I said quietly.

Sakura got up and awkwardly started to walk away from me. "Alright… I'll see you soon, then." She stopped and turned around, "I'm sorry again, Syaoran."

Within moments, she was gone. I rolled over to the side and continued to lay on the grass. I closed my eyes. Then I clutched onto my chest and closed my eyes. What was this feeling? Whatever it was… I hated it and liked it at the same time.

* * *

**Authors Note:**

Hmmm! What does Syaoran feel? Hahah. Well here's your chapter for you. I have some slow relationship development, but it's gotta be realistic, right? :P You can't have a relationship just then and there. As always, please read and review if you like the story.


	12. Chapter 12: Dreams

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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* * *

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**Chapter XII: Dreams, Part I.**

* * *

"You shot arrows at him?" Tomoyo started to laugh. "You never fail to amuse me, Sakura."

I clutched onto my pillow and sighed as I sank to my bed. I rolled over to Tomoyo and pouted. "Yeah, I felt really bad about it. I even had to go and heal him."

"Ah, the infamous healing trick." Tomoyo said nostalgically. "I haven't really used that in a while. I never had to use it here."

Tomoyo, having lived at the temple with me, she was also raised to train to become a priestess. Tomoyo and I had reached priesthood at the same time and although her magic wasn't as advanced as mine, she still knew a bit. At least, mostly holy or spiritual magic that was used for healing and purifying, but not combat based ones. Although I could see why Tomoyo didn't need to use magic, as Eriol himself was a magician – who needed to use magic when a stronger magician was right in front of you?

"Yeah, but I didn't think I'd actually strike him with the arrows." I mumbled. "He was bleeding all over. Oh gosh, Tomoyo. I feel so horrible."

"I'm sure Syaoran doesn't mind, Sakura." Tomoyo laid down beside me and gave me a reassuring hug. "Although I haven't grown up with him like I did with you, I know him better to know he doesn't keep grudges… I mean, didn't you two have an argument? But instead he let that go and brought you here… and I'm so thankful for it."

"I know. Syaoran told me it was okay."

"You two have been getting quite close." Tomoyo giggled. "What is it now, you've been here for almost a month? He even asked you to train with him…"

"Actually, he asked me to help him train." I said in a low voice. I knew not to egg Tomoyo on when she was excited. She had always been like this ever since we were younger she had always teased me about boys and crushes. Personally, I've never really had a crush on a boy except Yukito. It was a long lived crush that I had since I could remember – but according to strict inner-temple rules, us priestesses shouldn't even be thinking about mingling with the opposite sex and thinking about marriage and courtship. Traditionally, marriages were arranged and that was that. Of course there were circumstances, and things are a lot different now – but if a man had a lot of power within the priesthood hierarchy, he could technically get any woman he wanted, but these days it wasn't forced or arranged as much. It was typical for a woman to accept the first marriage proposal, especially if it was a highly beneficial marriage, but a woman can also choose to refuse.

Whatever happens along the way had nothing to do with tradition; it just depended on everything else. Like how persistent the guy was.

Persistence. It could be a good or a bad thing in different situations.

"I think it was just Syaoran's pathetic excuse to spend time with you, Sakura. But who could blame him? You're just so beautiful." Her eyes started to glimmer again as she took my hand. "I don't blame Syaoran or even that Tomo Eda for having his eyes set on you."

"Please, Tomoyo. Syaoran is just a friend. I mean, he sees me as a friend too. I gave him a hug today and he didn't even hug me back… I guess I crept too much into his comfort zone."

"You hugged him?" She squealed louder. "Oh Sakura, I've been waiting so many years until you've found someone you liked… other than Yukito."

I started to laugh. "I was over Yukito a long time ago. After I found out that my brother loved him even more than I ever did." I sighed, "Yukito is so lucky that a man like my brother loves him so much."

"Maybe you'll find a guy who loves you that much, too, Sakura." Tomoyo said.

"Have you found someone who loves you, Tomoyo?" Eriol popped up in my head as I posed the question. Tomoyo didn't blush, but instead just nodded and smiled dazingly.

"I think I have." She said with such confidence. "It took me a while to find that person, because I deeply cared and loved someone else."

"Who?" I was curious. All this time I thought Tomoyo wasn't really the type to have crushes. Tomoyo never really was interested in guys back at home in the temple, she'd make the occasional comment on their looks and actions, but mostly she was looking out for me. I tried to think hard to who it could be, but to no avail.

"It's not important anymore anyway, Sakura. That person could never have loved me in the same light – and even if they didn't love me, I will always care for them. Their happiness is my happiness too."

"I guess it's all in the past then. Whoever you cared deeply for must really like you. You are one of the nicest people I know." I still couldn't think of who it could've been. Tomoyo never liked to talk about her deepest personal secrets, even though she would always willingly listen to my problems. I remembered when I found out Yukito loved my brother; I cried my eyes out for days in Tomoyo's lap because I felt heart broken. All those times I cried, I never really comforted Tomoyo in her romantic turmoil's. The only tears I helped her dry out was after the death of her mother.

Tomoyo smiled at my comment and sighed. "Yes, I'm over it now. Sakura, I really do like Eriol."

"I knew it." I turned over and gave her an 'I told you so!' face. She just laughed it off and nodded. "It took me a while, but after living here I've warmed up to him… and I think he really cares about me the way I do too… I'm actually in love with him."

"I'm happy for you." I patted her shoulder. "Invite me to the wedding, okay?" I joked.

"Sakura! There won't be a wedding!" Tomoyo was obviously lying, I could tell by the tone of her voice and her embarrassment.

Tomoyo eventually left to tend the house and spend time with Eriol, while I spent the rest of the day I just lay in bed. I was tired from using up my energy and I was just mentally tired as well.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Lately, even though I've been trying to avoid thinking about it, I've been getting disturbing recurring dreams that I've been having since I've been in the temple. I never really thought of the nature of the dream until Touya's revelation about Tomo Eda, but it all made sense.

Each time I dreamt the dreamt that dream, it got progressively worse.

Let me elaborate on the dream, actually.

It would always start out as me getting married. Then, as the dream went on, I tried to desperately escape. In the dream, I was married to someone... I never really did see his face. I knew that I was his trophy wife, his wife that would be the gateway to his path of power which he so desperately craved.

I'd hear a familiar voice – not a soothing one, not a kind one, but a malevolent, jealous and spiteful voice who would warn me if I were to run away, he would kill my brother. Then Yukito. Then me.

Eventually, flashes would happen in my head and soon I found myself tied on a stake. My brother's voice would pop in my head over and over, "Run!" then, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." It was an eerie, almost realistic voice… for that moment I would always be fooled; I would think it was reality. Despite that fact this was a recurring dream. I've dreamt this so many times, I hardly know what was reality and what was a dream.

As I hung on the stake, I'd see the bloodied corpses of my brother and Yukito. People would throw stones at me, yelling that I was a witch of some sort and that I wasn't a true priestess. That everything that had happened up until this point as I hung on the stake was singlehandedly my fault, and this was my punishment.

The man I was supposedly married to kept his face covered, even as he would cast his fire spell on the sticks that would soon catch me ablaze. Before I got to see who the perpetrator was, I'd wake up crying and sobbing.

I was lucky that everywhere I went, there were soundproof walls. It was embarrassing, scary and frustrating that I'd dream this every night. The worst part about my dreams was ever since I was a child, I had been able to see bits of the future, whether it was directly or metaphorically in my dreams. There could be underlying symbolism, but sometimes as well as real events happening.

When I dreamt my mother would die from disease, I had dreamt that and it had come true. It wasn't a dream where I would dream it and the next day, there it was, my mom taken by the disease. I had dreamt those dreams of my mother decaying and defeated from her disease way long before my mother had shown any signs of illness, right back to when I was just a child. They were constant recurring dreams that unfortunately, had come true.

It wasn't a coincidence. I had predicted in my dreams that Yukito loved my brother and my brother loved him. I dreamt of my heart breaking, although I had wished it were not true, it happened. I had dreamt about when one day I would be all alone without my best friend – and as time went by, before you know it, Tomoyo had escaped and run away from the temple.

Why didn't I do anything about it if I could dream about future events? Toying around with the future would be a bad idea – and who knows, the outcome of those events may have been due to the fact that one was trying to tamper with the future anyway, and that the future knew that the person wanted to change time – and that result would be the same. I've personally never tried to tamper with trying to change the past or future, because I was always taught not to tamper with time because it could change things forever.

The only man who could've ever been able to tamper with time itself, we were taught in our teachings, was Clow himself. No man had been as much of a powerful divinity and sorcerer as he would be. Some skilled magicians knew how to stop and bend time – but never successfully tried to travel back into the past or future. I was taught a spell on how to stop time – but I've never used it because of fear.

Sometimes I wish I could go into the future and actually see if my dreams would be correct, and that I would see the future unravel before me. To see how things are. I would be curious as to know what would be the future here on Ling Shi; especially since Touya is the successor of the title of Supreme Priest and the leader of the island and temple and all. I knew though by law and tradition that even though Touya was the Supreme Priest, he would never even have children because of his relationship with Yukito.

Same sex relationships here were taboo. Simple as that. Even though I knew the true nature of Touya and Yukito's relationship, everyone else didn't. Everyone was under the guise Yukito and Touya were just close since Yukito was his personal assistant. If people were to find out – heck, if many of the temple people found out about this the punishment would be severe. I haven't seen it personally, but have read and heard about it happening, and the punishment would be exile or worse; death.

Where was I going at with this? Well. Since Touya would be the new successor, and he'd have no children, that means there wouldn't be a suitable successor if Touya passed away. Yukito cannot because he is merely an 'assistant' in everyone elses' eyes so he cannot take over for Touya, but since the title of Supreme Priest can only be transferred through marriage or through actual blood relations, it would fall to me if I ever had a husband. Women could not be Supreme Priestesses because it wasn't allowed at all, and it went against all tradition.

What did that mean? If anyone knew Touya's secret – many people would try to engage in a relationship or marriage with me.

It's already begun with Tomo Eda, I knew he didn't like me in a romantic way, but he wouldn't really gain anything either since he doesn't know the nature of Touya and Yukito's relationship. However, I'm not so sure about that these days. Since father passed away all eyes and scrutiny were all over Touya and I'm sure people will try to dig up as much dirt on him as possible.

I just wish father hadn't passed away. Things would probably be simpler that way.

**xXxXxXxXx**

I eventually fell asleep; rather, took a nap. I felt myself go into another familiar dream. This wasn't a dream that ended in a nightmare, no. It was one of those dreams where it was misty and mysterious, yet somewhat calming. It wasn't a recurring dream however, the people in the dream seemed to always seemed consistent in visiting me.

What was odd is I'd have actual rational conversations with the people in the dream, unlike the nightmares, I would see the faces of the people in my dream.

So as I walked through this haze in my dream, this smoky black room of darkness in which I always seemed to start off in, I'd frantically walk, searching for a source of light. It was like searching for the light at the end of the tunnel – I always got out eventually.

Then, sitting on a chair under the moonlight, I'd see a tall pale woman waiting for me. She had long jet black hair, always tied up eloquently, and robes I have never seen before in my life. The most eerie part was she had these brown eyes – they reminded me of someone's, but I for some reason the thought would always escape me. In fact, this was all foreign to me; this person, but I knew her. From the moment I met her I sensed something kind and familiar.

"Welcome back, Sakura." The woman smiled.

"Hello… Miss." She knew my name, but I didn't know hers. Which was both embarrassing and shocking because we've met a few times in my dreams – but why did it matter? This woman was just a manifestation of my dreams.

I was thankful though, because when I had these dreams I'd feel at peace – through all the handful of consecutive nightmares I've been having, this one calmed me down. I'd usually have these dreams when something good or bad happened, and I guess out of loneliness, I'd talk to this woman in my dream, this figment of my imagination.

"How are you doing since the last time we've spoken?" The woman looked at me with such kind eyes and concern. I couldn't help but feel flustered. She reminded me of someone – no, not my mother or father. It felt like she was a motherly figure, but there was something else.

"I'm doing fine. I've moved from my house to this manor in town." I told her. I told her the full story of what happened.

"That's when the guy named Syaoran, I told you that I met a new person." I said. "Well, this person, even though I don't really know who he is or he didn't know who I was at the time, he was kind enough to take me in."

The woman smiled amusedly. She looked up at the night sky, "Hah, is that so?" I felt like she wanted to say more things, but she held herself back.

"He seems like a good guy." Was all the woman said. She had a look in her eyes that screamed, 'I know more to this matter than you think', but of course, she kept quiet.

"He wants me to teach him how to properly use his magic. He's decent, I suppose. He could do better, though." I sighed. "I feel bad because even though I'm trying to help, I feel like I'm being detrimental through it all."

"Oh, how so?" The woman was curious.

"I hurt him with my magic because I was confident that he'd succeed." I said. "He has a lot of potential, I can just sense that magic in him waiting to be tapped… but I don't want to hurt him again."

"Just keep believing in Syaoran, then." The woman smiled. "Never give up. People get better by practice, and I'm sure that he appreciates your help."

"You really think I can teach him? I was hesitant, but then I remembered you telling me that one day if I found someone, things can change. How do I know if Syaoran is that person that can help us… and me?" I knew I was talking to a dream and a figment of my imagination, but I couldn't help but ask these questions. Even though I was asking a question to my subconscious, they were responses that I hadn't thought of before.

The woman sat there silently, pondering and looking up at the night sky. "You can only decide for yourself. You asked me for help, but truly, it was you who sought him out. Just remember… you may not remember how things turned out, but even little things like dreams can have a huge impact, a bigger one than you think it is, Sakura. If you want change, you have to work for it yourself…" She took a breath, then looked back at me, "Be confident in yourself. If you truly believe Syaoran is the one who can help you, then believe it too. If you truly want to teach Syaoran, then do it. I'm sure he'll appreciate it, you know? But only do it if you truly want to."

I nodded.

I did want to help him.

The only thing I didn't get was that she was telling me that my dreams could potentially have a huge impact on my life.

When she was finished, she stood up and disappeared into thin air, but before that she said, "Until we meet again, Sakura." As soon as she left, everything was pitch black again.

I woke up.

Even though she was just a dream, something I made up, talking to her felt real.

**xXxXxXxXx**

I heard knocks on the door as I was just waking up. I hadn't realized how long I slept – I thought it was a nap, but there was no longer the sun in the sky but it was now blanketed in darkness, with stars and the moon illuminating the sky. It was night time now, and my nap turned out to be an actual period of sleep.

"Come in." I yawned. I figured it would be Tomoyo, but to my surprise the person who was behind the door was Syaoran. How convenient, as I had sort of dreamt about him. I suddenly felt self-conscious, was my hair messy? I had an awful case of bed hair when I slept. I quickly wrapped the blanket around my body.

"I'm sorry, am I bothering you?" He said quietly. He turned red as he watched me wrap the blanket around my body. His body turned the other way but I protested.

"No, no! You're not at all!" I reassured him. "What's going on?"

"I was just worried about you, that's all. You were nowhere to be found all day after this morning." He said. "Are you alright? Are you getting sick?"

His concern was cute. I shook my head and laughed, "No. I just dozed off, that's all. I'm quite tired after using magic also… and I figured I would need a nap."

"Am I working you too hard? You don't need to train with me if you don't want—"

"No, it's fine. Really." I told him. He really didn't need to care too much about me. Jokingly, I said, "Are you sure it wasn't Tomoyo who sent you up here to check on me?"

He shook his head.

"Come in, you're being awkward just standing there at the door and all. It feels weird to be yelling from across the room almost."

"Sorry."

"Stop apologizing! You did nothing wrong." I told him. "Come, sit." I patted the edge of my bed. Syaoran reluctantly and hesitantly trodded along the room and eventually made his way to where I had patted on the bed. He sat down slowly, looking uncomfortable.

Was I that bad? He even rejected my hug earlier! That was awkward. Despite that, Syaoran was a nice guy. Polite, shy, and I suppose he wasn't bad on the eyes. I can't really speak much because I haven't really been exposed to many guys in my life, but for a foreigner he was pretty good looking I suppose. Was it the hair or the eyes?

Syaoran was too polite for his own good. I've never seen him actually acting impulsively rude except when we argued that day, but I understood his point of view anyway. Syaoran was just too polite – a big difference from back in the temple. Yukito was the only polite one, my brother was just a big brother – he's a nice guy but what brother didn't like to tease their little sisters anyway? The other 'guys' like Tomo Eda and the Eda family as I said, were jerks.

This politeness in a man was a nice change from the jerks in my life.

"Are you okay, Syaoran?" I suddenly asked. I still felt bad about the whole arrow and fireball incident.

"Of course, you healed me, remember?" He chuckled then sighed, "I feel embarrassed that you even had to heal me. I must be pretty pathetic."

"You're not pathetic." I took his hand and smiled at him reassuringly. "Don't say that. You're not pathetic at all, alright? You're one of the nicest people I've met." I started to massage his hand, a habit I would do when I was talking to someone who was stressed. I don't know, was he embarrassed that I was doing it? He immediately turned red and jerked his hand away.

"Being nice doesn't mean you're any less pathetic." He grumbled.

"You're too harsh on yourself. You have to stop being negative." I pouted. "If you're going to keep being negative, don't speak to me! I'm tired of hearing you insult yourself all the time, you know. If you're going to be a King or whatever – or a leader, you have to have confidence in yourself. Otherwise your people won't have confidence in you."

He stared at me as if he couldn't even tabulate the words in his head. Has Syaoran ever heard a positive thing in his life? It's as if compliments were a foreign thing to him or something, actually, if you gave him a compliment it's as if he were just insulted and slapped in the face. What a weirdo.

"…Ah. Okay." He said with a smile. "You seem too confident for your own good." He joked.

"Of course, what isn't there to _not_ be confident about?" I joked back. "I AM Sakura Kinomoto, the most gorgeous girl on this island, and most magically talented!" I flipped my hair dramatically and giggled.

"Hmm, I'm inclined to agree." He laughed. Was he being sarcastic or flirting with me? Well, it didn't matter. This guy frowned too much anyway. It was nice to see him have an actual expression of happiness or amusement than being negative.

"To be a good magician you have to also be confident in yourself. In here." I pointed at his chest. "It's cheesy, I know, but if you feel like you're going to fail you're not going to succeed. I am really serious when I say you have to come in with a clear mind when casting spells."

"I'm a thinker." He said, "Thinking is in my nature. I can't not think. I can't not be critical of myself. I have too much riding on my shoulders right now."

"Now the tables have turned, Syaoran, I'm worried about you." I patted him on the shoulder. Slowly, I removed the covers from myself and sat beside him. I started to rub his shoulder while giving off positive energy there. He was tense, so I figured I'd help him in that department. As usual, he looked uncomfortable. I knew though, his body responded well to my little massage but he was resisting it. This guy was the definition of tense.

I guess he wasn't used to physical affection and touchiness like I was accustomed to as a child and growing up. Did his parents ever hug him? Ever complimented him? Had his parents even show him love? I could look into his eyes once more and find out – instead of him trying to read into me, I could have as well.

So I looked into his eyes watchfully. He seemed alarmed and weirded out, but he also looked into mine. I just knew, from looking, that he came from an affectionless family. Although he was from a family of prestige I suppose, no amount of prestige could really replace attention. He was suffering from neglect. Perhaps it was self-imposed, I don't know, but Syaoran shouldn't have to feel neglected or alone; he shouldn't be so down on himself.

As I stared into his deep brown eyes, I felt my heart beat. I usually felt such strong emotion looking into peoples lives, trying to look at their inner true feelings, but this one was different. I didn't feel an immense feeling of sadness or any other overwhelming emotion; but I felt a different feeling.

For a moment, I thought I heard his heart pound as hard as mine. His gaze was so intense and so attractive… I shouldn't even be feeling that way, but I couldn't deny that he was attractive. I shook my head quickly back to reality and tried to break the ice.

"You know, Syaoran." I spoke as we both broke our gaze. "Next time you put yourself down, I won't talk to you." I looked at him with a serious face. It was just a bluff, but I think he took it seriously.

"…Alright." He sighed.

"You're worth much more than that, and I'm happy to help you train and in any way possible."

"When did this become a pep talk about me?" He rolled his eyes, "I came in here because I was worried, now it's the other way around!"

"Funny how that happens." I giggled.

Syaoran chuckled and nodded. "Thanks, Sakura."

"No problem. You know if you need someone to talk to besides Eriol or Tomoyo, you can come to me anytime. You don't need to ask if you need to talk to me. Just knock and invite yourself over here." I winked.

Syaoran was hesitating again, but he came around. He nodded.

"Same goes to you too, Sakura." He said. "I know how hard it is for you and everything. I'm surprised you're all cheerful and smiley about everything. You're strong, for a girl." He smirked, "Emotionally solid as a rock, I'm jealous."

Oh Syaoran, if you only knew. I wasn't emotionally solid, but I also believed there wasn't any use being upset. Being upset would upset others, and it would become this whole chain reaction of being negative. So instead of being part of that cycle, I smile. Hopefully then I could make others smile too.

"Aren't you forgetting this morning?" I reminded him, "I'm magically strong, too, so don't mess with me." I started making punching motions.

"You're such a bizarre person." Syaoran said, "You make my sisters look tame." He laughed.

"You have sisters?" He might've mentioned it before, but at this point in time I forgot.

Throughout the evening, without realizing it, we both had skipped our meals and spent the whole night talking about everything, everything under the sun and more. I normally did this with Tomoyo, but this was different. It just felt so… nice, I suppose, to have someone else to talk to. Don't get me wrong – I love Tomoyo and I love to talk to her, but it was just nice for a change. I was having a blast! We talked about his life back in his hometown of Heung Gong, a place I've never heard of… but from what he says it's nice.

He told me it's up in the mountains and there's lots of things to do there. He told me about the food there, as Syaoran knew I was kind of a glutton for food. He even mentioned one day he'll cook me a meal native to his cuisine! I was excited for that. He told me about all the good things – his childhood, his parents…

I was correct in a sense, he was slightly neglected in a sense. I mean his parents gave him a life, a privileged life. He was like me though, trapped in this system when we both just wanted to be free from all these duties and responsibilities. He told me how he wished he had more time to be carefree like me, but ever since he was the first son born into the family, all responsibility had befallen him. Through all the training and schooling in his life, he had never really formed friendships except with his family.

This all sounded too familiar, but we were different although we were also similar in our lives.

I was happy because in all my time living here at Eriol's manner, Syaoran never really said too much. He was quiet, too quiet actually. Sure, Syaoran would sometimes contribute to the dinner conversations, but he never really started any. He would talk to you if you would talk to him but in the end it'd just be a few sentences and end up in just small talk. It was never anything in-depth. During training, it would just be training talk and nothing else. Unless you talked about something else, but as I said, it'd just end within a few sentences.

I had cracked his little shell and you can bet on it I was squealing on the inside like a little girl. I was squealing like Tomoyo on the inside, actually! Nothing made me happier than making someone else happy. It was always my nature, and I'm sure it would still be whether I am a priestess or not. I got a high out of being helpful and out of just plain happiness.

I couldn't believe it still, Syaoran and I spent the night just yammering away. I liked to listen to him talk about his experiences, because all my life I only thought Ling Shi existed and nothing else – but now I knew there was another place out there in the world. The world Syaoran knew. I wanted to be in this whole new world because I was honestly sick of this one. For a moment, I really wished that I could be selfish and just drop it all and run; but even though I had run away, I was confined to this place. There was no way in a million years would I ever turn back on my only family left. As long as they were here and they needed me, I would be here forever.

Before we knew it, the window from the outside was showing an illuminated sky slowly lighting up by the sun. It was sunrise, I knew of this scenery, where the sky would be in a myriad of colours; from pink to violet, to slight hues of orange and yellow, until finally the darkness of the sky had faded away and we were left with the gorgeous blue sky.

I wasn't even tired.

"Can you believe it? It's morning already." We were both laying down on my bed, facing each other. We were pretty much in that position all night, talking the night away – quite literally.

"Time flies when we have fun I guess." He smiled at me.

"I never knew you were fun." I teased, "You're always Mr. Grumpy and Mr. Quiet and you only really talk at the dinner table."

"I'm not much of a talker." He defended himself.

"Could've fooled me." I smirked.

He didn't say anything back afterwards. He just stared into my eyes and smiled at me with a defeated look.

"You should talk to me more often, I'd like that." I started to yawn. "I like to spend time with you."

Syaoran got up and nodded. "I'm going to go. I guess it's bed time."

"No training time, I guess?" My eyes were getting droopy. It was a battle to keep them open at this point.

"It's how you like it." He put his hands through his hair and started messing it up. He too, yawned. "You're the boss."

"First of all, Eriol's your actual teacher and I'm just helping out. But if you put it that way, you can have a break today."

"Good night, Sakura" He started walking out to the door.

"Wait!" I tried to force my body up. Using the last remnants of my energy, I ran up to him and wrapped my arms around him, giving him a hug. I didn't care at this point because I was sleepy and I tend to do irrational and clingy things when I was tired, but I also genuinely wanted to give him a hug out of appreciation. I looked up at him with tired eyes, "Thank you for talking to me last night… or today, or whatever." I said sheepishly.

I expected him to pull away from me, but to my surprise I felt his arms lightly constrict my body. It was a brief hug and soon he pulled away. He patted my shoulder and nodded. "No problem. It's you I should be thanking."

"Why's that?"

"I hate this place, but you're actually making it somewhat tolerable."

"Aw. Thanks. I think." I scratched my head. "Good night… good morning, whatever!" I headed back to my bed. I watched him close the door behind him, but before he did, he popped his head back into the room and said before finally leaving.

"Sweet dreams… I guess." He said shyly.

You know, he could've done without the I guess, but I appreciated his sentiment. I nodded and soon drifted off to dream land.

**xXxXxXxXx**

This dream I had next seemed so familiar, yet I somehow couldn't pinpoint it. It was hazy again just like the usual dreams where I would meet the woman, except she wasn't there.

It was misty here, too misty, which didn't help the fact it was dark here too. There were no lights around, and wherever I walked there seemed to be no light. I casted my glow spell to illuminate the area, but even then, I couldn't find an exit to this void.

Added to the darkness, it also smelled unbearable, like this awful odour had just proliferated to the point a person couldn't breathe. Quickly, I cast the flowery spell to make it smell like flowers, because I would rather smell flora than smell whatever rank smell it was in the air.

With a brief flash of light that seemed to have spawn out of nowhere, I found myself tumbling; where it was would be a mystery to me. Everything felt so real, but then again, it was the reality of my dreams I could not escape: everything seemed so real that sometimes I could not differentiate reality from the dream world I had always seemed to create.

When I stopped tumbling from midair, I landed in a cool patch of long grass. I looked up at the sky and that's when I started to see stars in the sky, and the moon! I was still surrounded by the effects of the glow and flowery spells, which I didn't mind at all because I liked flowers anyway; and the glow was pretty.

I took a look around the place. It was completely abandoned here. There were abandoned buildings, crumbled down at it's foundation – burn marks on some buildings, in fact, it was reminiscent of my old house that had burnt down, but I knew it wasn't my house. It was someone else's and it looked so eerily familiar, I couldn't put my finger on it though.

I might as well explore before I wake up. I had always liked exploring my dreams and seeing what kind of things my mind could conjure up. I liked to analyse my dreams too because most of the time they were prophetic or had some deep symbolism behind it. New dreams like these were especially interesting because I never knew what to expect.

Walking through this place was depressing. There were no signs of life anywhere. It was as if this place had simply just died. Abandoned. Forgotten. It was heart breaking, really. The architecture here was beautiful but now was destroyed.

Beyond the rubble I found a pond. It seemed familiar somehow—it was an old rickety bridge that stood atop the pond, and on the pond were lily pads and lotus flowers, perhaps the only things living in this desolate place.

Sadness was just radiating from all over the area.

I stood at the bridge, looking off at the pond. There was a building there across that looked like a prayer house. I wouldn't be surprised if it were, as those were common – at least where I'm from. This place reminded me of Ling Shi but it was certainly more morbid than Ling Shi. Ling Shi, while an island, was vibrant and full of life because it was beautifully maintained. This place looks like it hadn't been touched in centuries.

What if this was a prophecy, what if I was dreaming the future?

Was this telling me something, this dream?

I looked around again for a second time, this time taking a good walk around the place because there were more things beyond the bridge. I felt such anxiety being here and such distress, so I started to sing to myself. My mother would always sing me a song whenever I got scared, and I guess it rubbed off on me. So I started to sing as I trudged along this place.

Sure enough, everything seemed so familiar.

The buildings, even though destroyed – it looked exactly the same as Ling Shi's buildings! There was a fountain that stood where I was standing, in this piazza, and now it was reduced to rubble. I knew it was the same fountain because it had the same Ling Shi insignia on what was left of the rubble.

I gasped.

The temple was destroyed, half of me was happy about that, since I hated the temple anyway, but half of me was dying inside.

Was this the future?

I wasn't overreacting when it came to my dreams. Especially since it was no coincidence that when I dreamt of events, whether good or bad, they would happen.

I felt myself getting dizzy, which I never felt in my dreams normally. I felt tears running down my cheeks – I could feel it, the warm liquid seeping from my eye sockets. I was becoming anxious, extremely so, I started to panic. This was just a dream, after all, why was I reacting this way? Why this dream? Even with new dreams, I hadn't reacted this way.

Painful, this was absolutely painful. From the way things looked, it was abysmal. The future was abysmal. My home – although I didn't love it as much as I could with all my heart, it was my home through thick and thin. If this dream was a portrait to the future, it was a portrait that screamed 1000 different words in my head. The negativity was just pounding and seething through, I felt like I was being suffocated with this overwhelming negative feeling.

"Somebody save me." I whispered. "Someone save us, anyone."

I wanted to wake up. I kept pinching myself and I just wouldn't wake up. I knew it was a dream because I wasn't hurt. Why is it that I couldn't get physically hurt, but my heart was breaking?

I managed to get back to the rickety bridge. There was at least some support on the arches that I could lean against it a bit and try to gain my composure. So for a while, I just leant against the railings of the arches of the bridge and stared out to the pond.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming towards me. Normally, I would approach these entities in my dreams – but this time I was terrified and scared. I didn't want to see whoever it was. I was scared and overwhelmed, and to be quite honest, I wanted to wake up from this horrible dream.

As the footsteps got closer to me and I could see a visible figure through the darkness and haze, I ran as fast as I could. The figure already had seen me, as they had already tried to talk to me, but I probably blocked it out. I wasn't prepared to die in my dream. There are cases where people die in their dreams—I didn't want to be a statistic.

So I ran as fast as my legs could take me and before you know it, I found myself tumbling again into what it seemed like a bottomless hole.

**xXxXxXxXx**

I woke up crying. Apparently Tomoyo had heard me sobbing really loudly through the hall and burst in the room to wake me up.

I've never had such an overwhelming dream.

* * *

**Authors Note:**

Does the last passage sound familiar? Hehe. We're getting into the juicy bits soon, don't worry! But this story is far from over. I expect about 20 chapters done on this story, but less than 30 or 25, even. As always, read and review please and tell me what you think about the story, good or bad, criticisms, etc. Thanks for reading up to here thus far!


	13. Chapter 13: 6 Months

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

* * *

**Chapter XIII: Six Months**

* * *

It's been about half a year I've been here at Eriol's manor. Can you believe it already? Half a year since my house burned down and a bit more than half a year since I had successfully escaped from the temple – physically, anyway. I still feel attachments of course. I'll always be attached to the temple because it had been my home for about 20 years and for the first time in my life; I had ventured out by myself. Half a year since things took a turn for the unexpected. Even though it's been 6 months, it still feels like yesterday since I've gotten here. Really, time knows no bounds. It can be irritatingly slow or un-noticeably fast. In this case it was the latter.

In terms of my dreams, they have been coming on and off. The frequent dream of me burning at a stake? Yup, still there. The dreams I would have with the beautiful woman hadn't occurred the next few months, and even now they hadn't been coming. One thing that was however, was that horrible dream I had. I'd have it at least once every night and I'd wake up crying with the same magnitude of sadness. My sobs got quieter and less extreme so people went into my room less frequently. Was I still overwhelmed? Yes. Of course I was overwhelmed. Even though it was a recurring dream, it seemed like it was always a new, unknown dream. I never did find out who was looking for me in that hazy dream - I'm still too afraid. Afraid of the future. I still have yet to know the true significance of that dream and I can only go by my interpretation that still stands; I still think it's the future. Our future. My future. Everyone's future here.

Enough about the dreams, though. There's other things that have happened around here.

Of course, while everything was all happy at Eriol's manor; my situation with me running away was escalating. A bigger reward was given, about 1 million gold coins to whoever would bring me back alive to the temple. My brother would continue on this charade, but he and I would continue to secretly meet. Tomo Eda was looking for me and pretending he cared to look for me. In fact, funnily enough, he was sucking up to my brother. Trying to get on his good side. Perhaps to get Touya's approval of the marriage proposal he's been planning for who knows when. Too bad for him I guess. The Eda family has sent all the goons around the temple to look for me day and night. Only Touya knew when the goons weren't looking, and that's when we'd meet up together.

Posters had been put up all over the city. What was once a peaceful, beautiful city slowly decayed. The greed was taking over. Greed was taking over people's hearts and before I knew it, my father's legacy was slowly fading away. My brother couldn't control the situation he had started. It has gotten to the point where he couldn't control the temple people and the Eda family. He had to be super cautious when meeting me.

The beauty of the landscaping and scenery was slowly being neglected. How can a place be beautiful when there were essentially wanted posters plastered all over the trees and walls? How could a town be beautiful when people were frantically searching for me and neglecting their jobs? Beautifying the island used to be communal effort, everyone would pitch in, but now everyone was just in it for the money.

The worst part is that the reason why everything was slowly unwinding before our eyes was because of me. Everything the Kinomoto family worked for in centuries here had slowly eroded the island. It brought immense sadness in my heart to see this place destroyed.

Touya never asked where I was hiding out, but he knew I was safe and in good hands. At least that's what he said – because I'm still alive and kicking. I missed him everyday, and our visits got more and more brief and more and more uncommon as the situation became dire. I missed him even more, and I would often cry to myself in my room with the doors locked. I was confined to Eriol's manor, which was fine, but I really missed Touya and Yukito.

Tomoyo would often come and console me. She knew of the situation – she's been out to town for a very short time just to see how bad the situation was with me. She was horrified, actually. People never gave up hope that I was still alive because I was a Kinomoto, a direct descendant from Clow himself, and the Kinomotos possessed already such an immense power that had been inherited through the ages. There were rumours that descendants of Clow could bend time, travel through time and even prevent death. The last part I was unsure of because even Clow himself died. Clow was the perceived God here, our saviour, and having faith in Clow and his magic would open the spiritual tap inside yourself, letting the energy and magic flow from within you. So that's how they knew – as long as I was a Kinomoto, they knew I was capable of living through whatever was here. This made me wonder why my father had died so unexpectedly if that were the case. People believed Tomoyo was dead, but the trick is on them, she's alive here and well.

Oh yes, all the while, Tomoyo is pregnant with Eriol's child. She hadn't told him yet as it was soon. It's funny though, Tomoyo was a woman raised at the temple and from ever since children could read, listen and understand things, we were told that we were to stay pure until marriage. That we'd wait until marriage for children. Tomoyo wasn't even engaged, let alone married to Eriol and already she's pregnant.

I had a vision about it earlier on, I knew better not to doubt my prophetic dreams, but I hadn't thought that Tomoyo would be that rebellious. I wanted to tease Eriol and tell him he was a little fox for doing that to Tomoyo, but Tomoyo told me to keep quiet about it until later.

Since I'm getting back to the subject of the manor and the people living there, did I mention Syaoran is pretty much done his training? He's learned all the spells I've ever known and he doesn't even need cards to summon the magic! Technically I don't need to use Clow's cards either but it helps a lot with making the magic potent and stronger; but that's besides the point. I am so proud of him! Today, I was going to give him a present I've been working on for ages—I knew this day would come. It only took him 6 months, unbelievable! I mean he could still improve but he can do that without me.

Speaking of Syaoran, he's been acting strange around me lately. Maybe I shouldn't over analyse, but he'd turn really red around me while training. I thought I taught him how to be confident, but I guess not. I guess he's still embarrassed and he thinks he's no good compared to me, but it's not the case at all. With a bit more work and diligence he could be on par with me or if not stronger than me one day. I'm no where near as strong as Eriol, but he told me Syaoran needed a 'woman's touch' on his training and he had relinquished the teacher role to me. That was fine by me, I got to spend more time with Syaoran anyway.

I felt so safe around him and every time I'd hug him he'd keep me warm. I've become really close to him the past few months, and he doesn't get all awkward when I do show some sort of physical touch towards him. I remember when I'd hug him he'd push me away, now he'd actually hug me back sometimes! So funny. I just really liked Syaoran and if Tomoyo weren't my best friend, Syaoran would totally be my best friend. I've never had a guy best friend or a guy close to me before except Touya and Yukito, so this was a new thing.

I wonder though, was I hallucinating or did I sometimes catch him staring at me? He'd do it during training, which was the one that bothered me the most. I'd feel very self-conscious because I'd be worried I was screwing up, perhaps the wind was blowing my dress up, I don't know. Then he'd pretend that he'd never stare at me, but I swear he did. Like I said, I think I'm looking too much into it. I mean, why would he stare at me? We're just friends after all.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"That's so cute, you made him these armbands." Tomoyo picked it up and looked at it carefully. "You've done a good job, for someone who doesn't make accessories or sews!"

"I also made him a hat." I handed it to Tomoyo. "Every time I'm around Syaoran outside, I guess he's cold. I mean I admit it's cold outside at night and I'd need a hat too, but Syaoran must be sensitive to the cold because his ears turn really red! I don't want him to get sick." I said, concerned.

Tomoyo looked at me amusedly and in disbelief and she looked like she was about to laugh.

"What?" I told her.

"Oh, nothing." She giggled. "I think it's not because Syaoran is cold. That his ears turn red…" She mumbled.

"Huh?" I blinked. "What did you say?"

"Nothing." She giggled again. "I didn't say anything."

"Oh, okay." I told her. I held up the hat and the armbands. This was the first time I've ever attempted to sew, they're small things and I could never compare to Tomoyo, but I stayed up many long nights to do this. I wanted to make sure it's a surprise so I'd lock my door and pretend to sleep. It wasn't uncommon to find Syaoran and I talking almost daily now, I just hope he doesn't think I hate him or anything because I've been avoiding him for the past few weeks.

"I also made this for you, Tomoyo." I handed her a long shawl scarf. "I know that you often get cold, even when it's not really cold, so this will keep you warm. I knit this for ages." I laughed.

Tomoyo looked taken aback as she took the shawl scarf. It was a nice mustard colour which made her blue eyes stand out. She gave me the biggest smile I've ever seen her smile and she threw her arms around me, almost tackling me to the ground.

"I love it!" She screamed. "I'll treasure this forever, just like the paintings you've given me."

I smiled at her and hugged her back.

"So…" Tomoyo said, "When are you giving this to Syaoran?"

"Probably tonight." I told her. "I'm all done anyways."

"I wonder when Eriol and Syaoran are finished with their training." Tomoyo pouted, "I guess your job is done, but Eriol's job is yet to be over, huh?"

"I guess so." I looked out the window. I saw Syaoran and Eriol talking, from the looks of it they were finished and heading back in the manor. I opened the window and waved at both men. Eriol waved back at me while Syaoran looked embarrassed and looked away from me. Before shyly looking back at me with a smile.

Tomoyo pushed me out of the way lightly, "Eriol!" She yelled, "Are you done?"

"Yes!" Eriol yelled back.

"When are you going to tell him?" I whispered to Tomoyo. "You know, about the baby?"

"I think I'm going to tell him today… I mean, he deserves to know." She started to tremble, "I'm so scared but excited at the same time, Sakura. I'm going to be a mother!" I started to rub Tomoyo's back in efforts to relax her. I knew that Tomoyo's baby was going to be beautiful if Tomoyo was the mother.

"Let's go downstairs." Tomoyo told me. "I feel like playing some piano, my hands need to do something else besides sewing all day."

I nodded in agreement before adding, "Now you'll be busy making clothes for baby and not me!"

"Don't be silly. I'll always make clothes for you until I can't sew anymore." She took me by the shoulders and lightly shook me, "You're not out of this yet."

We both laughed as we headed downstairs. On our way down we were discussing baby names but in the end we couldn't come to an agreement. Besides, it wasn't my job to name the baby but it would be Eriol's and Tomoyo's. It was just amazing how far we've grown, Tomoyo and me. It really just felt like yesterday when aunt Sonomi and mother were still with us, and father was too. That there was no talk of corruption or marriage – that everything was just happy.

But that's all what nostalgia was. Remembering all the good times. Now is the present and I can no longer dwell on the past and reminisce on how good our memories and times were. It was up to me to make everything better from here on.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Tomoyo was not only talented in sewing but she was a great singer and musician. I guess while I painted and practiced at the temple she would practice all aspects of the arts. Tomoyo was never into the whole magic thing so while I was practicing she would spend her times alone playing piano.

She's gotten really good – no, great throughout the ages. Reading books or even just sitting in the resting chairs while listening to Tomoyo's piano playing would result in the ultimate relaxation time. That's what I was doing, sitting in the huge chair near the window of the music room and just watch the scenery outside. I also enjoyed the sunlight warming up the place and lighting up this beautiful music room.

"Beautiful music, just like you my dearest." Eriol walked in the room followed in by Syaoran. Eriol walked over to Tomoyo and gave her a light peck on the lips. Tomoyo continued to play as Eriol leaned against the piano.

"Hey…" Syaoran sat across from me. We were now both facing the window.

"Hi Syaoran, how are you?" I faced him and greeted him with a smile.

We were interrupted with Eriol yelling, "What?" Across the room. Syaoran and I walked up to the couple to see what was going on.

"…Are you serious?" Eriol's jaw dropped. He slowly put his hand on Tomoyo's stomach nervously, "We have a baby here?"

Tomoyo nodded.

Eriol, who never really showed excitement or even showing a hint of surprise was expressing these emotions in front of us. The look in his eyes – it wasn't of malice or of hatred, but of love and excitement that he was going to be the father of Tomoyo's child.

"Well then… perfect timing." Syaoran smirked while whispering to me.

"Huh?" I blinked. "What are you talking about?" I whispered back.

Then I knew, Eriol got down on one knee and took out a black box. I think Tomoyo and I both gasped as we watched this unfold right in front of our very eyes.

Eriol opened the box revealing a beautiful ring that had a sun gem on it. Sun gems were equally as prized as diamonds here, if not more, I wanted to squeal but kept my composure for Tomoyo and Eriol's sake.

Tomoyo gasped again as she saw the ring. She was taken aback and soon my cousin was crying; something I hardly ever see when it came to her. While I was vocal about any of my emotions, whether it was being angry, sad or happy, Tomoyo barely expressed sadness or even just crying in tears of joy.

"Will you marry me?" Eriol looked up at the woman he loved.

He looked so confident – in fact, in a way, they looked like my parents. Eriol really resembled my father in an odd way, not only in personality but somewhat in looks. Tomoyo looked a lot like my mother as well. This was a nice portrait painted in my mind, I guess inspiration will hit as soon as I find a canvas to paint on.

"…Of course." Tomoyo said through her sniffles, "Of course!" She yelled. Eriol took the ring and slipped it on her thin fingers.

"Congratulations, it's about time!" I cheered. "So romantic!"

"…Thank you." Tomoyo said, looking back and forth between me and Eriol. "I'm so happy, we can be a family now!" Tomoyo turned to me and Syaoran, "Now we need to find you someone." She winked.

"Haha, very funny Tomoyo." I rolled my eyes. I looked over to Syaoran who looked uncomfortable, all the while turning a light shade of red as well.

"Yeah. Eriol and Tomoyo, congratulations." Syaoran coughed. "Your baby revelation couldn't have had come at a perfect timing." Syaoran grinned, "Some things are just co-incidental, huh?"

We all laughed, now thinking about it, yeah. It's funny how things happen and end up like that.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon Tomoyo was the happiest I have ever seen her. There was a distinct feeling to the house that just went through the roof. Everyone was all smiles and happy. I guess I can't believe that I'm here, I'm no longer a little girl and my cousin was engaged to be married.

Now I could actually jokingly ask Tomoyo, "When's the wedding?" Hah.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Dinner time was extra lively tonight. After the engagement, Tomoyo and I whipped up an extra special dinner. I think we made too much food, but no matter, with my water and freeze spells, I am able to keep the food cold in the storage/pantry room. Everyone was just all laughter's and smiles, including Syaoran. Even though he's improved throughout the past few months he's really improved in terms of opening up to people and not being such a grouch but still. He was still often quiet at the dining table – at least in front of everyone. To me, I feel like he's opened up to me the most.

I was slightly surprised when he asked to meet me outside after dinner. Of course I accepted. I wonder what it could've been? Usually he would just come to my room during the night, but I guess he wanted to talk to me outside. Hm.

"Thanks for coming." Syaoran said as he was leaning against the manor's walls outside.

"You know I'd come, stupid." I joked. "What's going on?"

"Did I do anything wrong?" He looked at me seriously. "You've been avoiding me for a while now… and you've been really tired for the past few days."

"You didn't do anything wrong!" I gasped. "I'm sorry, did I really do all that?"

He nodded. "… I guess I was over-thinking it I guess. I'm so stupid."

"Hey, what did I say about putting yourself down?" I lightly slapped his arm. "Besides, I was just… tired; oh, and…" I took the package that contained the armbands and hat out. I handed it to him nervously.

"I made these for you." Why was I even more nervous than usual? I was literally trembling. I mean… I know it's my first time really sewing something and all, but that wasn't the reason why I was nervous.

I looked over to Syaoran who was blinking in confusion. "For me?" He pointed to himself.

I nodded as he took it from my hands. Like a little kid on their birthdays, he shook the package to listen to what was inside.

"Thank you." He said. "Can I open it?"

"Of course you can…" I said. I hope he liked it. Even I was turning red as I watched him unravel the paper from the package. He opened it to find the armbands and the hat I had made for him. He looked even more confused. Now I felt stupid.

"…T-thanks." Syaoran said.

"I'm sorry if they're a bit flimsy." I played with my hair while looking down at the ground. I was so nervous on what he was going to think of them! I've never been so concerned over someone liking my presents! Maybe I should've made a painting instead – but even that would've made me second-guess myself. Syaoran was a prince, he was used to the finer things in life. I swear my heart was pounding in overdrive out of nervousness and something else… I don't know what this feeling was, but it was overwhelming me. I could hear it pound so strongly through my ears that I swear at that moment, it could've burst from my chest.

Syaoran put the arm bands on his arms one by one and slowly. He looked at the crest, which was a crest I had lovingly embroidered onto the official magician's crest on them. It was typically given from teachers to students of magic here on Ling Shi, to signify they have finished their training so to speak. I wasn't an official teacher, but since Syaoran was not from here and was not training under an official temple magician or priest, I figured it'd be a nice cultural gesture.

Also, it was customary to give an arm band to the man you were most close to or liked – I mean it was a token of friendship, nothing more. Syaoran didn't need to know about that last bit anyway… I didn't want to give him the wrong idea. I didn't want Syaoran to like me or fall in love with me, because it'd hurt him in the end. He doesn't even know that I'm only being chased after was because Tomo Eda and the Eda family wanted me so I could get married; because the Eda family had an almost equal amount of power as our family did… and I was their key into getting more power. I knew sooner or later I couldn't run anymore, even as much as I wanted to.

Besides, he was from another place, he was a prince from some far away place. Romance shouldn't happen between us even if I had wanted it. I had to admit it, I kind of liked the guy; but that was the ending point. I knew I couldn't let it go past that point or else it'd just be trouble for both of us.

He was looking at the stuff I'd made and he was dissecting each garment with his eyes.

I looked into Syaoran's deep brown eyes and felt my heart beating even harder. He was just so… good looking.

He slipped on the hat and looked at me and chuckled, "How do I look?"

"You look… good." I complimented him. "I guess it's nice… it only looks nice because it's on you." I lightly gasped, I can't believe I let that slip out! Those words should only be reserved for my mind. I made Syaoran uncomfortable, I could tell. His eyes widened and he slowly turned his head to the ground.

"Thanks." He smiled at me, "I appreciate that."

"..N-no problem." I closed my eyes. This was so awkward! When did things become awkward between me and Syaoran? Everything is alright when we're eating at dinner and when we're with Tomoyo and Eriol… but when I'm alone with him it just feels different. It feels strange.

I know I liked him, but to what extent did I like him? I knew I couldn't, I just couldn't.

Yet there he was beside me, teasing my emotions with his very existence. Did I like him, or was I just incredibly flustered and awkward around new people? He wasn't a new person though… after all, we've been living together for half a year, along with everyone else.

"I made the hat because every time we'd go training, your ears would get really red. It's often chilly out here at night, isn't it?" I tried to be courageous. Right now, I just wanted to run because I couldn't handle what he would say or just being around him. I didn't know what I was feeling right now – it seemed to have just hit me in the face that I felt something towards Syaoran. I've never looked at him as a brother, I've never really seen him as my student – but he was a friend, he was my _savior_.

"Ah…" Syaoran got even redder. "I-I guess it is cold outside." He lightly laughed.

"I also made you those arm bands to symbolize you've mastered _my_ training sessions anyway." I told him. "Typically here, you get an armband when you've done and completed magical training."

"Oh. We have that custom back home, too." He said.

"I guess now you actually have to train with Eriol." I laughed. "After all, ironically enough, even though I'm a priestess I can't teach you spirituality or spiritual training – unless you count spiritual magic which is the arts of healing and such. Really, I was just taught from an early on age that there was an upper power, God, and Clow the Sorcerer, the ultimate magician."

"I've heard of Clow, he's briefly mentioned in some of our history and scriptures." He said. "I don't think he's been mentioned at all to me by Eriol. Spiritual training is one of the reasons why I came to be in Tomoeda in the first place, and eventually, here."

"At least Eriol's done something, huh?" I giggled. "I mean I got to meet you. I'm sure Eriol being in your life led you to be here on Ling Shi… but still, is he that lazy? Have I done that much?"

"Yeah, now that I'm done with you, I guess now Eriol can't be lazy and he has to teach me." He rolled his eyes while chuckling, "But it's going to be different now that he has a lot of things on his plate. He has to deal with a pregnant fiancée."

"Hehe, I think Eriol better watch out. Though, I've never seen Tomoyo angry… I heard pregnancy brings out the worst in people." I replied.

"Thank you, Sakura." Syaoran pulled me in and hugged me. "I'm glad it wasn't because you thought I was being weird or something… or something I've done wrong." He pulled away and looked at me with such sincere, serious eyes, "You're like my best friend here… I think I'd go crazy if you didn't talk to me or if I did something wrong."

Heart beating. Again. I looked into his eyes and I swear that it would be like one of those storybook moments where he'd pull in and kiss me—but he didn't.

"I'm glad… I can help you. There's still more to your journey, but at least I could help with a good part of it."

We stood there in silence just looking into each other's eyes. His eyes were so shiny that I could see my reflection reflected into his. My head started to pound and I started to get dizzy just looking at him. I couldn't handle it – he was just making my body and head do weird things! This isn't how it was supposed to be. He may be my savior… but that should be it, shouldn't it?

"Sakura… I…" Syaoran was stuttering, in fact he was shaking. I could feel it in his hands as he took mine. He was staring right into my eyes with such a piercing, serious look. I could sense some nervousness in them too. I started to get nervous as well as my body started to tense up. I tried with all my courage and determination to look back at him. He had such an intense look to him that made me weak in the knees. I wanted to run, but I couldn't.

I just nodded slowly and gulped. "…What is it, Syaoran?" I tried to smile.

He let go of my hands and looked at the ground. "…I can't thank you enough for everything, you've really… really helped me." He said.

I sighed in relief. I thought for a moment he was going to tell me he loved me or something. If he had told me that I wouldn't know what to do, to be honest. I didn't want to be put in the situation where I couldn't give him a proper answer and just leave.

"Syaoran… I said you're welcome, alright?" I laughed. "I'm getting tired. I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded. "… See you tomorrow."

"Oh, and Syaoran?" I said as I was headed back into the manor, "You really do look cute with the hat. I hope it does its job to keep you warm! Good night." I waved.

As I got in the house I ran into my room, before Tomoyo could ask me, "What were you two talking about outside?" I just wanted to lay in bed and sleep. I just wanted to make this feeling go away.

I treasured Syaoran's friendship more than anything else in the world. I had him in my life and world now – but I don't know what I would do if anything happened if I had gotten too close to him and I'd end up hurting him because of all the events going on in my life. He's helped me enough and he doesn't need to go through anything painful just for my sake. No, I couldn't let it happen.

This whole escaping problem was mine to deal with and mine alone – I had to deal with the consequences of my actions. Even though life was happy here, the guilt of leaving home and betraying the temple beliefs and even escaping was gnawing at my soul and my conscience. How long would it take before I can no longer hold up this guard and this shield around me?

* * *

**Authors Note:**

Some of you have stated confusion in my story, and that's fine, there's still lots of chapters to go so all those holes and questions are still left to be filled and answered.

To the reviewer who asked why I named my character, Tomo Eda, there is a significance to that, but you will have to read and see. :) I've been writing lots this weekend so I have lots of chapters written out, and I can estimate this story should end this month. Still, reviews are appreciated and thank you for the time for reading my story. It's been a long while since I've written so things are choppy and such, but it's a huge improvement on my behalf.

The story has went a big time gap because there's not much to elaborate without too much repetition. The juicy and exciting parts of the story has yet to come. Besides, Sakura and Syaoran aren't even out in the open about their feelings! This is a Sakura and Syaoran fanfiction after all. I add some Tomoyo and Eriol and I'm trying to put a bit of care and detail to their relationship as the stories go on.

Thank you for your patience!


	14. Chapter 14: Vanish

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

* * *

**Chapter XIV: Vanish**

* * *

I swear, if I didn't hold myself back I was going to kiss her. If I didn't have self-control, I would've told her I loved her.

I didn't, though. It wasn't the moment to tell her to tell her I loved her. I could tell she was tired and I knew why now… she was making little presents for me. It just made my heart burst into a million little pieces, in a good way – it was bursting with so many feelings that it would've gotten the best of me.

I wanted to tell her when we weren't both tired. I wanted to tell her with a clear mind.

I'm so sure now, I'm in love with Sakura Kinomoto. It's gotten to the point just being around her was just ludicrous. I wanted to be near her, but at the same time I wanted to shake off these feelings I had. I liked her—no, loved her so much that I couldn't think straight. That I couldn't do things properly because she was there and all I could feel myself doing was to stare at her all day and just marvel at her simplistic beauty; both inside and out.

The hardest part about training with her for these past 6 months was not the training and energy I had exerted from training; no. It wasn't the hardest thing at all. The hardest thing was the fact I could only love her from afar and that I couldn't do anything about it. I didn't want training to be awkward – I didn't want her to treat me differently because of that fact. It was so difficult because I couldn't concentrate because I'd end up watching her as she'd shoot stuff at me or when she'd demonstrate how to do a spell. Most of the time I'd space out and she'd have to do it again – which resulted in me looking absent-minded or really stupid; oh, and not only was my pride compromised mentally, but physically when I'd end up hurting myself from stupid errors or not watching when Sakura was shooting fire cyclones or water at me.

Morning, day and night, her pretty face and gorgeous eyes would pop in and out of my head constantly. When I was training with Eriol all I wanted to do was be with Sakura.

Sakura, Sakura, Sakura, Sakura… that's all it was in my head. I admit I once found her a bit annoying the first few weeks, but at least it was tolerable enough so our friendship, though new, wouldn't be affected because of it. She was too happy and too cheerful! Yet that happiness and cheerfulness had infected the household like a common bug. She just had the ability to make everyone happy.

Since training with Sakura was over I knew what I had to do to remedy myself of this. I didn't know how to approach it, though. I only knew of one person who could help me confess to Sakura or how to go at this problem of mine. You see, I'm not very good with feelings or affection. In fact, I'm horrible with girls and I made some girls cry from my bluntness at home even though I was trying to be polite! I had to approach this without looking aggressive or acting abrasive. I didn't want to scare Sakura, but honestly, I just wanted to scream my lungs out and yelled that I loved her, because I felt like a volcano ready to explode.

I knew I had to talk to both Eriol and Tomoyo; but not at the same time. Eriol first, because he's a guy and he's managed to get a pretty girl like Tomoyo to fall for him – and besides, he's the only guy I've got in this house.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"I know you told us that whole story about how you and Tomoyo met… but when did you realize that you liked her, and when did you two realize that you two got along well – and when did you find out the feeling was mutual?" I said to Eriol. I was pacing back and forth in his library and Eriol was sitting in his huge reading chair being amused, he was chuckling, even.

"Let me guess, this is about Sakura." Eriol grinned.

"How did you know?" I stopped at looked at him with surprise.

"Anyone who isn't blind or dense like Sakura can see you like her." He shrugged.

"Am I that obvious?" I said in defeat. Eriol nodded in response.

"It just happened." He said. "We developed a friendship shortly after she moved in the manor with me. I guess for us, the attraction was obvious and mutual. I just appreciated her company and that she put others before herself, I liked that quality about her." He paused, "It doesn't help she's gorgeous, too. Anyway, one day it just happened as we were taking a walk together outside in the yard. I just kissed Tomoyo and she kissed me back. That was the moment where I knew the feeling was mutual." He said.

"I see. I don't really see you kiss or do all that affectionate stuff when I'm around, though, I wouldn't have guessed you two were an item until I started to pick up on the small hints." I stated, "Interesting."

"What's so interesting about being private?" He laughed. "Another thing about Tomoyo is she's so devious and intelligent… she does know how to pick up on small hints. Just like me!" He smirked.

"No kidding. You two were made for each other." I replied dryly.

"I'll just take that as a compliment." He replied. "Anyway, Tomoyo is a private person like me… but unlike me she's really shy about expressing outward affection like that towards me."

"Great. You just kissed her and then that's when you really knew she liked you back?" I wasn't _that_ bold. I'm sure Sakura wouldn't like it either because she wasn't like Tomoyo, and I wasn't really sure if Sakura actually liked me or if she was friendly. I didn't want to kiss Sakura and then make things all tense between her and me. That was the last thing I ever wanted to happen.

"Uh huh." Eriol crossed one of his legs over another. He clasped his hands together – he looked evil sitting like that, like a diabolical maniac for a second. Then again, he always seemed that way to me.

"No confession or anything?" I asked.

"Too long-winded for me, I prefer to be direct about it."

"Weren't you scared of being slapped or rejected?"

"Life's too short, so take chances…" Eriol drifted. "If Sakura doesn't like you, that's her loss really."

"Alright…" I walked to the door. "Thanks, I guess."

"Good luck." Eriol said before I closed the door behind me.

The difference between Eriol and me was the fact that he was more vocal and open about his feelings and actions. I was more of a hermit when it came to those affairs.

I suppose talking to Eriol about it didn't really help, so I went over to Tomoyo who was in the laundry room by herself (after looking all over the huge manor for her). She looked surprised as I entered the laundry room. She set down the things she was doing and waved at me.

"Hi Syaoran, what brings you into the… laundry room? Are you going to help me do some laundry?" Tomoyo giggled as she joked. "Haha! Your face looks priceless, Syaoran. Of course you don't need to do Eriol's laundry."

I guess I did look repulsed as I looked over at the pile of Eriol's undergarments.

"Actually, I need to ask for your input… but I guess you're busy."

"I'm not busy at all… another day, another pile of laundry. It's nothing new." She shrugged. "Come, let's go somewhere else… I don't think this place is a very good place to have a conversation session."

"Where do we go, then? I kind of want to speak to you in private."

"Come to the music room, Sakura is sleeping right now… but I don't want to take a chance."

I turned red in annoyance of Tomoyo and myself. Does everyone know about my feelings about Sakura? Obviously not Sakura herself, but seriously? I didn't even tell Tomoyo the nature of the conversation.

Tomoyo laughed in satisfaction as she watched me squirm. This girl was as sadistic as Eriol, in fact, she's like a female Eriol. How great is that? That was sarcasm, by the way.

"Cat got your tongue?" She winked.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get out of here." I mumbled.

Tomoyo and I walked to the music room together which was quite a trek from the laundry room. It was silent, but that's because she really did honour the fact I wanted to 'speak with her alone'. She didn't want either Sakura or Eriol to know about our whereabouts, even though I had spoken to Eriol not too long ago.

Shutting the door, Tomoyo signaled me to take a seat near the window, this is where I last sat with Sakura the last time we were here, all wrapped up in the excitement of Tomoyo's news about her pregnancy and Eriol's engagement. Which, by the way, came to me as a surprise. I don't know the full details of their relationship but at least they're happy. I mean, if Eriol could get someone beautiful and kind as Tomoyo, there was hope for me too.

"Okay, so now that we're settled, what is it you'd like to talk about?" Tomoyo put her hands on her lap, keeping them closed together. She titled her head and smiled – albeit creepily, might I add. It's as if she were expecting this all this time.

"I like Sakura." I told Tomoyo straight up.

Tomoyo replied dryly, "_Oh, really_? Anyone who hasn't figured that out is as dense as Sakura."

"That's what your fiancé said." I mumbled.

"Great minds think alike." Tomoyo replied. I swear, this girl was evil. At least towards me. I think she and Eriol took pleasure in mentally tormenting me or teasing me. Moving on, then…

"In all seriousness, though. It's good to know I wasn't wrong about it." Tomoyo moved her long wavy locks of hair out of her face and leaned over to me. She put her hand under her chin and stared at me.

"What are you going to do about it?" She asked.

"I was hoping to get advice, since you're the person closest to Sakura in this house."

"You mean the closest to Sakura, ever, period." Tomoyo corrected me.

"You get the point, Daidouji." I replied in annoyance.

"Ouch, I got demoted to the last name basis. I'm sorry, Syaoran." She pouted.

"What do I do?" I sighed. "I'm terrified of telling her."

"Why?" Tomoyo asked. "What's there to be scared of? It's just Sakura… she wouldn't hurt a fly…"

"I don't know what this feeling is, Tomoyo. I've never felt a feeling like this before. I'm just so scared of what I'm feeling and I can't quite figure out what it is. I'm pretty sure I've figured it out… but is this feeling…" I looked up at Tomoyo, "Could I be in love with Sakura? Have I gone beyond the point of just liking her?"

"I can't tell you if you're in love with Sakura, Syaoran." Tomoyo said. "Love is so broad and subjective, and lastly it's just personal. I think when you're in love with someone you just _know_, even if you haven't been in love with them."

"How did you know when you were first in love with someone?" I asked.

"I…"

"Sorry… I didn't think it'd be personal."

"No, it's alright." Tomoyo said. "Promise though, that you won't tell a soul? This is something I've kept inside me for a while… and I haven't told anyone about it, even Eriol."

I raised my eyebrow at her. I nodded, "Alright, fine."

"I was in love with someone at the temple… but it's someone I wasn't supposed to be in love with." She breathed in heavily, "I was in love with a girl."

My eyes widened in surprise. I didn't think Tomoyo would be the type to like a woman, but then again no one should judge a book by it's cover. I didn't judge her, but I was just surprised, that's all. This was coming from a woman who was to be married.

"I.. I see." I told her. "I'm not judging you, by the way, I'm just surprised."

"I know, it's unusual. But that's not the worst part." Tomoyo said. "I mean, falling in love with this person isn't a bad thing, but it's not the most convenient thing ever, either… or easiest."

Tomoyo put her hand on my leg. Her blue eyes were staring into mine, she had a face that was so stern right now and so serious that it was severely out of character. I had no idea what was going on.

"You know, I have a lot more in common with you than you think, and I do know where you're coming from. Especially in this aspect."

I tilted my head, trying to figure out what she meant. Shortly after, something clicked.

"What… really?" I asked.

"You figured it out, huh?" Tomoyo sighed in relief. "It's been too long since I've ever been able to release these heavy baggage's off my back. It's really been too long."

"You loved Sakura too, huh?" I said with sympathy. She looked at me with sad teary eyes and nodded.

"I have loved her and always will; but now I've moved on in my life to a better place." She said. "Same sex relationships are looked down upon at home so I could never have had acted upon my feelings – and besides, she was my cousin. She looked up to me as a sister… not as a lover. Sakura never looked at me in that light, she liked boys and she's always liked Yukito… so I just loved her from a distance, I suppose."

"How did you know it wasn't just a sisterly love than a romantic one?"

"I just knew. I just know it. It was the same feeling I have with Eriol… and you know what, even though I'm with Eriol, I'm always going to love Sakura… but not in that way." She said. "But I'll always care deeply for her. I cared more about her more than anyone else… I guess how you know is that you care more about their happiness than your own, and that you don't really care if they don't like you back. Just seeing them happy makes me happy."

Tomoyo took both my hands tightly and again, looked at me with that serious expression. "You make her happy – I can just tell, and that makes me so happy. As long as she's happy, I'm happy… so I'm counting on you."

I sat there silently, trying to decipher my feelings. I knew I loved Sakura, but was I sure?

Yes, I'm positive. The more I thought about it, the more it became clear. The beat of my heart when I thought of Sakura no longer made me uncomfortable, but it was a soothing rhythm that I grew accustomed to, and in fact enjoyed. Just the mere thought of Sakura made me happy. The way she was always smiling brought me from my lowest point to a higher place in life.

I love Sakura Kinomoto.

"I.., I love her." I said. It took a lot of courage for me to say because admitting it to Tomoyo was a huge step for me. Now I had to make the bigger leap to tell the person that it matters to most.

"Tell her that, then. I'm sure she'll be happy about it." Tomoyo smiled. "I have a feeling she likes you, too… I just know it."

"I'm just terrified. I don't want to lose her, you know? In case she rejects me… or if she is weirded out by it." I bit my bottom lip, "Losing Sakura would just be… horrible."

"You won't lose her." Tomoyo stated as a matter-of-fact. "Also, have more faith and confidence in yourself. Did you know that's one of the most important features a good priest should have? Or a magician, I should say?" Tomoyo said. "I'm sure Sakura taught you that – now follow those words and stop being a chicken!"

"Easy for you to say." I mumbled.

"If you're rejected it's not the end of the world. Sakura doesn't hold grudges and she just… doesn't do that, you know? I know her better than anyone. I know she wouldn't want to lose you too. Sakura tells me you're her _savior_." She looked at me with teasing eyes. "You're her savior, Syaoran!"

"Stop it." I blushed.

"Just tell her. Tell her tonight, even. Stop keeping it all inside. It's the worst feeling there is. I mean, I never told Sakura about my feelings, but… I've never told anyone, it's good you told me… and it's good that I've told you too."

"Besides…" Tomoyo said. "Don't you want to know, too? Just so you could have some closure?"

"I can live without it." I said. "Just being around her makes it alright."

"You can't just wait it out and let Sakura make the first move. She's the most densest person I've ever met in my entire life… granted, I don't know many people, but she's really… something else." Tomoyo sighed. "If you never tell her, she'll never know. That's all I have to say…" Tomoyo stood up, "Excuse me, I'm feeling a bit sick especially with the pregnancy and all, I'm going to use the rest room."

"Alright, thank you, Tomoyo." I said while bowing my head down.

"Good luck. I'll make sure Eriol and I don't disturb you so you can do your thing." She winked.

"…Thanks."

Tomoyo left the room and I was alone in the music room with my thoughts. I was swimming in a huge ocean of thoughts and feelings right now. I really wanted to tell her how I felt. This conflict inside of me was getting too unbearable.

So I decided on something after much deliberating in my head. I think I must've sat hours at that chair and watching the clouds go by from the huge windows. I've probably even missed a meal – but with these thoughts in my head it was hard to eat when all I could think about every minute of my life was Sakura.

When did it become this way when it no longer was about me or going back home, or my training? My thoughts used to be consumed with those thoughts, and thoughts of the overbearing responsibilities I had to take when I became King.

No, none of those thoughts crossed my mind now. It was all about her.

I decided that I would tell Sakura right after dinner time, at her room, I'd be here before she'd come back from her visit to town. Today was one of those days Sakura would go to town to talk to her brother or whoever from the temple. I figured I'd just take my chance then – I know it's not a perfect timing, but I couldn't contain myself further. I needed to free these thoughts and words from me. They needed to go to the right person. Even if she didn't love me back, I will still love her, because according to what Tomoyo said, you don't need to stop loving someone because they don't love you back.

So that's just what I was about to do.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"I'm off!" Sakura announced. "I'll be back soon, promise!"

"What? Before dinner?" Tomoyo said with concern, "You've GOT to eat something, Sakura. You're usually gone for hours!"

"I'll be fine, I'll pick something up. Maybe I'll even be back in time for dinner time." Sakura was putting on her hood, "Don't worry about me, alright? See you soon."

Sakura turned to me, "See you soon, Syaoran."

"See you, be safe." I told her. "We want you back here."

Sakura giggled before going out the door. Tomoyo looked at me with a stressed out look. It was the usual feeling whenever Sakura left for town, it was the feeling of apprehension and nervousness.

"She'll be fine." I reassured Tomoyo.

"I'm still going to make her dinner anyway." Tomoyo said. "She said she'll be back, right?"

I nodded.

So today since Sakura was gone I helped Tomoyo cook dinner. 2 hours passed, perhaps, and still no sign of Sakura. The dinner was ready and everyone was seated at the table, even Nakuru who wasn't really around much during dinner. Everyone was eyeing Sakura's empty seat.

"I'm sure she'll come back any time now." Tomoyo laughed nervously. "I know one thing Sakura loves, and that's food."

"Sssh. Stop stressing about it, Tomoyo. I'm sure she'll come back. If she hasn't come back for dinner, she'll come back afterwards like usual, alright?" Eriol rubbed his fiancées hand.

We all ate dinner in silence today. The mood was different without Sakura there, starting the conversations and laughing. With Eriol and Tomoyo just talking, it wasn't the same and we all knew it.

Tomoyo sadly collected the dirty dishes with Nakuru, all the while looking at Sakura's plate which was full of food. Tomoyo wrapped it up and put it in the freezing storage room that Sakura had created for leftover foods, another innovation thought up by Sakura, by the way.

We all sat in the living room, trying to clear the worry from our minds. We tried to remedy this just by doing the usual when Sakura hadn't come home yet. You know, reading books or just having idle chatter.

It had been almost 5 hours since Sakura left. Everyone in the house went to his or her own respective rooms already except me and Tomoyo who were waiting in front of Sakura's door. Tomoyo was anxiously pacing around, back and forth.

"Where is she?" She yelled so loud it echoed through the halls. "Syaoran, where is she?"

"I'm sure she'll come." I said hopefully. I had knots building in my stomach, but I had to keep faith that she'd come around.

Hysterically, Tomoyo burst into tears. "Oh god! What if… she got caught? What if she's dead? Oh my god!"

"Ssh!" I tried to console the pregnant woman who was now crying. "She'll be alright. I'm sure Sakura doesn't want you crying."

"I'm tired." Tomoyo whined.

"Then go to bed." I told her. Easy solution. She really should go to sleep, though, not gonna lie. Tomoyo hasn't gotten much sleep which is bad for the baby inside of her.

"I'm worried about her though." Tomoyo bit her bottom lip.

"You'll see, when you wake up tomorrow you'll find Sakura in her bed, dozing off as usual. I'll keep watch outside, alright?" I said. "Go to bed."

"Okay…" Tomoyo said hesitantly. "Have a good night then." She walked to her room slowly switching her views from the staircase to Sakura's room. She shut the door from behind her as she entered her room.

Time went by really slowly as I waited outside Sakura's room. It was pitch black outside and already an hour since Tomoyo had went to bed. Eventually, it piled up to 3 hours since Tomoyo had gone to bed. It was pitch dark outside except for stars.

Now, I was definitely worried – no, I was beyond worried.

I looked around to find Sakura anywhere in the house first of all, maybe she had fallen asleep somewhere else? I checked all of the rooms from top to bottom and couldn't find the girl. I checked outside searching the perimeter of the manor and every inch of the property. I found nothing at all.

My worst fears seemed to slowly come into realization. What happened to Sakura? Has she gotten captured? Did she pass out in the street? Where was she?

There was only one solution to find her.

It was unusually cold outside even for an island, so I put on Sakura's hat she had made me. I took my compass board just in case, my sword and my spell tags and headed off of the property in search of Sakura.

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

The challenge in this was the fact Sakura had a bounty over her head already. Asking for Sakura even though she was missing now would raise unwanted red flags and trouble. I couldn't ask locals because people were looking for her as well. I think the reward for her capture was about 1 million gold coins now – an insane amount of money for just a person – however I understood since it was Sakura, and 1 million coins would never be enough in my eyes.

So with the best of my ability, given my situation and environment, I had to make do with what I had. It was dark, but not too dark I couldn't see a thing. This town was obsessed with lanterns so there were always some hung around town.

I checked where Sakura's old house used to be. There seemed to be nothing there, it was just the same place it was when it burned down.

I checked every inch of the island. I used the speed spell to help me run across the island faster – this was one of Eriol's useful spells that he's taught me. There was nothing. There was nothing in the main town, nothing in the forests, nothing in the beaches.

The only place I hadn't checked was the temple that stood ominously at the other side of the island.

I gave it a rest for today and headed back to the manor.

Everyone at the manor who was there was standing outside in their night garments waiting for my return. Apparently I was gone for a many hours, I hadn't realized it was already dawn and another day. My determination to find Sakura had no bounds, even with time.

"Any luck?" I asked Tomoyo and Eriol, which both of them sadly shook their heads.

"Oh my GOD!" Tomoyo yelled as she started sobbing into Eriol's arms.

"Syaoran…" Eriol looked over to me sadly. "No luck on your end, it seems?"

I shook my head in disappointment.

It seemed at this very moment everyone's worst fears had come true.

Sakura was gone, but where?

* * *

**Authors note:**

Ooh, Sakura has gone missing! But where? Leave your speculation, thoughts, comments, positive, negative, doesn't matter. Input is always appreciated.

GrossGirl18: Oh my god I feel so horrible for making you upset. I usually don't single out commenters because I felt like it'd be cheating with word count individually replying to you. I know you have a name and I appreciate all your reviews! I'm so, so sorry. :(

I'm happy that people are reading my story. Whether it's one person or 10. Doesn't matter. I write for my own pleasure and hopefully you guys like it as well. :)

As I said, things are confusing right now but we're yet to be finished. Things will come into place. I love reading your theories so keep it coming, hehe. If I get a good input I may just post the next chapter very soon! So please, please, thoughts and opinions are APPRECIATED.


	15. Chapter 15: Ensnared

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

* * *

**Chapter XV: Ensnared**

* * *

I thought that I'd be gone for a few hours. I thought that I'd be back for dinner after going to catch up with Touya.

However, this unfortunately wasn't the case for me.

After I had left the manor I had met with Touya where we usually met, near the beach so no one would find us. No one really went to the beach anymore anyways, especially in this weather. Besides, with our cloaks, no one would be able to find us easily – unless you were an actively skilled magician looking for me.

So there I was, walking as usual to our usual meeting spot. I saw Touya waiting for me. Not unusual because he'd always come early. As I walked to him, I realized that I had stepped foot in a trap that I could never escape from.

The man in the cloak wasn't my brother, Touya, but someone I had never hoped to see ever again.

It was Tomo Eda.

"What are you doing here?" I yelled. Suddenly, 5 other of his temple goons, goons for the Eda family had circled around me. One of them held my arms so I couldn't run off and escape.

"Oh Saku, is that any way to treat your old friend?" Tomo Eda grinned maliciously. I wanted to spit in his face! I tried to keep my composure. I tried to keep my struggling to a minimum even though I wanted to go over there and punch his face.

"Please let me go." I begged.

"You do know that everyone's been looking for you, Saku." His cold blue eyes looked at me with such sadistic pleasure. Finally, he's caught his prized animal he's been looking for all this time. There was nothing I could find attractive about him at all, I couldn't find the hype that all the local women seemed to make about him. His blonde hair, blue eyes? Tall? Chiseled body? Big deal! He was a creep under all that physical stuff.

"I know." I said. "Where's my brother?"

"At the temple." Tomo said nonchalantly.

"He's not supposed to be at the temple, he's supposed to be with me right now…" I said.

"Oh, I know. You see… we've been following him secretly all this time. Silly little Kinomoto's, did you two actually think that you could keep this charade on any longer?" He hissed. Tomo went over to me and cupped my chin. "You're mine, pretty little priestess."

"Don't touch me!" I started to cry. I knew it was a big mistake because it just _fed_ his ego. He took pleasure in other people's pain. In fact, he was smiling at me right now with the most pleased expression.

"We'll talk later, we're bringing you back home." He said. "Guards, please escort her holiness to the temple, shall we?"

I felt helpless. Soon I felt my feet lift off the ground and I was being carried to the temple. Tomo at least tried to make it stealthy as they took the long way to the temple instead of going into town. I almost had wished they would have taken me to town so people could see what was being done to me.

A million thoughts were circling through my head.

**xXxXxXxXx**

I was finally at the temple, the last place I had ever wanted to be. I was there, clad in forbidden colours such as white. I could not wear white because I was a lowly priestess who did not stand up or compare to the majesty of the temple itself, which was made of white marble. I was forced into a room and handed red robes.

"Change." The guard scowled as he closed the door.

Tears were falling out as I started to unclothe myself and change into these dreary red robes I had been forced to wear since childhood.

"Sakura?" The doors opened. At last, a familiar face. It was Touya.

"I'm taking Sakura to my chambers." He looked at the guards sternly. "Do NOT come in. Including that rat, Tomo Eda. I mean it. The doors are locked and I'm not letting anyone in. I need to speak with her alone in private."

"Yes, your holy one." The guards bowed. I knew from seeing and sensing their auras and spirit that they did not think Touya was the holy one and in fact, hated him. How did I know that? The face expresses everything.

From how they treated me and greeted me back, it was as if they were all on Tomo Eda's side.

I wanted to vomit.

"Sakura…" Touya closed his chamber doors from behind him. He gave me a long embrace while the tears slipped from his eyes. I've never seen my brother cry, not even at mother or father's funeral.

"Touya, I'm so scared and confused. What's going on?" I was getting dizzy. I needed to sit down somewhere to know this wasn't just some very realistic dream. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't a dream. This was all reality. I felt my freedom pulled away from right under my feet.

"I did not send you to be captured." Touya growled. "I tried my best to protect you, but now you're here again."

"How did he know…" I started to sob uncontrollably. "How come you weren't there?"

"I was going to go there, but all the sudden I heard that you were brought here… by Tomo Eda." He replied angrily.

"He told me that he secretly followed you and that's how he captured me." I said. "Oh god, Touya, what am I going to do?" I even said God's name in vain. I was really panicked and scared and I did feel like a helpless creature trapped in a cage. Even if I was with Touya… I know this wasn't where I was supposed to be. This was home, but at the same time it wasn't.

Home was with Tomoyo, Eriol and Syaoran.

"Sakura?" Yukito walked towards me and Touya. Not surprising since Yukito and Touya's chambers were attached to each other by a secret passage way.

"What are you doing here?" He went to me and knelt down. Yukito locked me into a hug. It's been what I was waiting for, for so long… but I didn't feel anything anymore. Nothing.

"She got captured by the Eda's." Touya sighed. "It'll be nearly impossible for us at this point to let her out, she'll be captured for sure. Also, we'll be in deeper trouble than we are now… I'm sure of it. I'm sure word is now that we helped Sakura escape the first time."

"Bring it on." Yukito said. "I'm sick of this conflict and the hypocrisy of the temple. What good is it being a Supreme Priest when you can't even change anything? You and Sakura are pretty much figure heads and those people are the ones who are in charge…"

"I know they look down upon me because I'm not my father and I'm still quite young to be taking this role, but god damn it." Touya looked so stressed out. I knew it was my fault. Since he and Yukito had helped me escape, if word got out to everyone then it was over. Touya had committed a crime and sin and would probably be revoked of his title or at least be in serious trouble. It's pretty much open air at this point.

"We'll try to get you out again, I promise." Touya said. "As long as you're safe where you were…"

"I was…" I told him. "I'm only putting myself in danger by going out here."

"If you manage to leave, I'll have to give up our contact." Touya looked so strained. More tears fell from his face.

I started to cry harder, "No… Touya, please."

"You need to live your life." He replied. "I'll find other ways to reach you, I promise."

Suddenly there were a few knocks on the door. Touya glared in annoyance.

"I'll bet it's Tomo." Yukito remarked.

"Stay back, Sakura." Touya commanded. Yukito took me to the back of the room, far away from the entrance of Touya's chambers as possible. I was trembling in fear in Yukito's arms. Even though I was with Touya, even he couldn't control the punishment that I was about to take, or the consequences I'll face. I knew what's going to happen to me – I had to own up to it.

Touya opened the door and sure enough, it was Tomo Eda himself. His very whole existence just radiated cockiness. I sneered in disgust.

"Hello Touya." He smiled at my brother. "I'm really happy this search is over, we've finally brought your dear sister back home to you."

"Yeah, thanks." My brother said unappreciatively. He gave a dirty look to Tomo, but Tomo did not respond. He kept his creepy, plastered on smile on his face. I hate him, he thinks he's so attractive and God's gift to women and everyone else in the temple – but there's many people besides us that hate him.

"Can I speak to your sister for a moment?"

"What for? She just got back here, I think Sakura needs rest right now after all that she's been through." Touya responded.

"…Oh, alright." Tomo pouted. He looked over to me with a menacing smile, "I'll talk to you tomorrow then, your holiness." Tomo bowed to my brother, "Now that Sakura is back, all normality will return, no? You can now do your holy confirmation so you can be appointed officially as the supreme priest, isn't that exciting?"

"Uh huh. Thank you for the thought, goodbye now, Tomo." Touya shut the door in his face before he could continue further.

"I hate him." Touya said. "I won't let him hurt you, I promise."

I nodded slowly. "I don't feel safe going back to my own room." I whispered.

"Then stay in my room, no one will go after you." Touya smiled reassuringly.

"Touya can sleep in my room if you don't feel comfortable with him being here." Yukito added.

I shook my head. "Could you both just be here for me tonight? I really need to just be near people I'm familiar with."

Yukito smiled and touched my cheek, "Of course, Sakura. Anything for you, right Touya?"

Touya nodded.

So for the rest of the evening Yukito and Touya prepared a bed for me at the edge of the room, far away from the doors. If anyone tried to go near me, they'd have to go past Touya and Yukito first. I felt safe – but I still felt incredibly lonely. I felt like I was trapped. I felt even lonelier and sadder here than living alone by myself. Of course I loved my brother and Yukito, but now that I'm here, I'm not even sure if I can escape. I was destined to stay here now. If I tried to leave, Yukito and my brother would be in a bigger situation than now. For now, we don't even know what punishment awaits from the temple senate. I was scared, really scared, and I could see it in my brother's eyes that he was completely terrified.

"Sakura, you're all I've got in this world now." Touya stated. "You're my only living relative and you're the most precious to me. I'll be damned if I let anything happen to you."

"Thank you, Touya." I responded.

"Now that that's out of the way…" Yukito trailed off, "How was your what… 7-8 months away from us? I know we've gotten occasional updates, well, Touya got updates, but it never really went into detail."

"The first two months were lonely." I said. "I mean, I got used to it. I found an empty space at almost the edge of the island, in the forest. Right? No one went there so it was a perfect spot." I said.

"I suppose so. I mean, for normal citizens." Touya said.

"I had managed to build a home by myself using my magic to gather up resources and such, and with traveling and disguising myself back and forth through town, I had managed to scour the flea markets for some furniture and little trinkets, just to make it seem… homey. I guess within a few weeks I finally had a place to call a home, even though I knew it wouldn't last forever. Someone was going to find me… and they did."

"Yeah, Touya told me you said that." Yukito blinked, "Who would've found you? I mean, you even used a loop spell, so I was told."

"That's correct, I was using a loop spell." I told them. "However, the circumstances that led me to being found out wasn't because someone actively sought me out from the temple." I closed my eyes. I felt my heart beating just at the thought of Syaoran.

"Well?" Touya said. "Why are you sitting there all spaced out?" He poked my cheek, "What happened?"

"Ah… sorry." I shook my head, "I just was thinking, that's all. Anyway… I was coming home from the usual stroll in the town, and then I had realized there was some guy following me. So I tried to run away, but I couldn't cast a spell fast enough while I was running, because this guy can run really fast – he almost caught up to me." I laughed. I guess I was being self-indulgent because I was the fastest runner I knew. I was pretty physically fit and athletic, so I took pride in my running abilities.

"So when I thought I had lost him, I went to the Zhen caverns right near where my house I built was. I usually come there to pray or hide – because for some reason people here are afraid of caverns. It's a perfect example of what things lay untouched… so anyway, when I thought I had lost him, I prayed – I know, how stupid of me! But I needed to pray for my protection, hoping this person would go away. He didn't, though, and he managed to weasel himself into the cave and find me. So I panicked and cast the sleep spell on him."

"Good call." Yukito complimented, "One of my favourite spells. I don't recall ever teaching you that, though."

"I learned it by myself, with the help of the Clow book and the cards." I took the book out of my sack and showed it to them.

"Ah, yes, the Kinomoto family artifact." Touya took the book from me and opened it, flipping through the different cards. "Said to be directly used from Clow himself… and one of the temple's and Supreme Priests' most sacred treasures to be inherited."

"Yes, father gave it to me when I had become a priestess." I beamed. "I diligently learned all the spells, it was pretty quick. I didn't even need Yukito to teach me things anymore."

"You were always a fast learner." Yukito patted my head. "I'm so proud of you – you finally get to put your magic to actual use, instead of training purposes."

"Yeah…" I said. "Ever since escaping, I have used my magic a lot. It's really a learning experience."

"What happened afterwards?" Touya asked, "I want to know every detail. I deserve to know, after all, I'm your big brother and I want to thank whoever kept you safe throughout all these times. Especially after you told me your house burned down."

"Yes… " I continued. "I felt guilty when I cast the sleep spell on him, so I took him home since I didn't want to leave him in that dark, murky cave. I took care of him and learned that this person wasn't a temple goon, but just a foreigner."

"A foreigner, you say?" Touya raised his eyebrow. "We haven't gotten one of those in years."

"Well, he exists." I said. "His name is Syaoran Li, and he told me he was from a place called Heung Gong."

"Never heard of it." Touya said, "But continue on…"

So I told him about Syaoran, how he was a Prince of that place. How I took care of him and then how we met again. I told Touya how I was running from the temple goons and found Syaoran who was looking for me. Then I told him about our little argument and all of the sudden it seemed, the house burned down.

"Syaoran gave me this…" I searched through my bag to look for the jewel encrusted knife that Syaoran had found and the note as well. I handed it over to Touya and Yukito who were now inspecting it.

"So this Syaoran guy found it on a base of a tree near your house?" Touya said in confusion. He held it up against the candle light, making the jewels glimmer.

"Look, it has the Eda family insignia on it." Yukito remarked. "When you hold it up against light you can see it."

"So, it really was the Eda family…" Touya grumbled. It was of no surprise to me, seeing as they were just an evil power-hungry family who hid behind priestdom and religion to disguise their true nature. It was a slap in the face to those who actually believed and had faith.

"I'm going to have a talk with them." Touya said.

"Don't." I said anxiously, "Please. Don't. I don't need anymore trouble… they have what they want. I'm back here again… who knows what they'd do."

"I'm tired of walking on eggshells with those people!" Touya yelled, but not loud enough so people outside could hear. "They're endangering you… and for what? Just because you ran away? Because you're trying to dodge a marriage proposal for their own selfish gain?"

"You know even if you confront them, you know even if you're next in line for the Supreme Priest title, they'll still treat you all the while the same." I responded. "They don't take us seriously, Touya, and they'll never stop." I sighed, "I wish father was here."

Touya and Yukito looked at me sadly.

"I'm going to bed now, good night." I walked over to the makeshift bed and laid down.

Yukito walked over to me and kissed my forehead goodnight. "Sweet dreams, Sakura." Yukito blew out the candle, leaving the room in complete darkness – except of course, the only source of light was the moonlight dazzling from the window.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Walking through the darkness, I knew where I was. I saw the faint moonlight coming from this dark dream tunnel. I ran as fast I could to the source.

"I'm here again…" I said to myself. I was in the dream world.

The familiar woman was there again, with the long black hair and the piercing brown eyes.

I felt my heart constrict as I looked in her eyes. I knew that those eyes would remind me of someone's, but now I realized whose.

Syaoran has the same exact eyes.

Is it coincidental?

"Welcome back, Sakura." The woman sat on the chair once again, drinking her tea and smoking what seemed to look like an opium pipe.

"Thank you…" I paused. I needed to know her name. It should've been done since our first meeting – I mean, it's my dream, right? Still though. I would like to know the name of this dream person I had created.

"… We've met many numerous times…" I looked into her amber coloured eyes, "But I've never asked you for your name."

The woman looked over to me and smiled. She closed her eyes and inhaled the smoke, then exhaled.

"My name is Yelan." She said. "That's it, and that's all." She smiled.

"Pleased to finally know your name after all this time, Yelan." I bowed. I took a seat from across her and just watched her. She was my definition of classy and sophisticated. There was my mother, who was elegant, but she was never sophisticated. My mother was just my mother; but she was seen as the pillar of gracefulness back in the temple because she was the wife of the Supreme Priest. It's odd how someone with that title wasn't sophisticated.

However, this woman, whoever she was – this creation of mine, she just oozed this aura of importance. I wonder what this all meant?

"I'm really going through a difficult time right now, Yelan." I sighed. "You know how I was living with Syaoran and everyone else in that manor?"

She nodded as she looked at me intently.

I lightly coughed as the opium smoke filled the air.

"Well, I probably didn't tell you this, but I had run away from the temple."

"I think you may have, but give me a detailed recap if you so desire." She exhaled.

So I told her, I told her everything leading up to my capture. I couldn't read her eyes or aura. There was no reaction in her face, but she would occasionally nod as she smoked her pipe.

"That must be very difficult." She frowned. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know!" I replied. "That's why I'm asking you… I don't want to get married… and it seems at this point I can't do anything without putting my brother and Yukito in danger." Tears were forming, I could tell, because they were stinging in my eyes.

"I've also been getting dreams, recurring ones. It's funny because sometimes or in most cases, my dreams reflect the future." I told her. It's silly to tell a dream about a dream, but at this point, no one could understand me. Not Touya, not Yukito, not Tomoyo or even Syaoran. Even I couldn't understand myself – even though I couldn't, maybe my sub-conscious could. I mean… this dream is one of the most different and unique ones I've had. I couldn't tell if this was a prophetic dream or not – because I saw nothing prophetic about speaking to a woman underneath the stars.

"Is that so?" She said. "What about your dreams?"

I told her about both my dreams; equally horrific but what could it mean?

"If you know that you have dreams that can see through the future, why not try to change it?"

"I was taught not to tinker with time." I replied to Yelan's question. "I have not known of anyone who has ever toyed with time."

"It's not actually toying with time if you try to change the future, isn't it?" She looked at me with a devious smile. She had this glimmer in her eyes that seemed to show she knew something again.

"Besides, why not finish what you started?" She filled her pipe again and lit it up with her magic. She took a deep breath and looked over to me.

I didn't understand. What was she talking about?

"…What?" I told her.

"You will find out… because it's already started." She stated. "You may not know right now, but you will."

"That's not fair! You know something I don't!" I said. "How am I… how is it relevant to anything? To time?"

"The process of altering history already has begun…" She said. She stood up and took my hand. "Let's take a walk."

This was something different. Usually Yelan and I would just talk in our dreams. All of the sudden she was offering me her hand for a walk. I wasn't scared at all but I was certainly confused.

Bending time. Bending history was something frowned upon. It was selfish – and it went against my oath I took upon becoming a priestess. Being selfish was a minor sin, but changing time and history could alter everything else; and this uncertainty could cause harm to people.

How could I be bending time and history when I didn't know about it? What was my subconscious telling me? What was she telling me?

So Yelan and I took a walk hand-in-hand, in what seemed to be an endless road atop hills. It seemed so real – the night breeze and the sounds of crickets chirping. The stars themselves seemed so real – and being somewhere without manmade light polluting the sky, it was easier to marvel at the heavens above us.

"Where are we going?" I asked her.

"Somewhere." She vaguely replied.

Eventually Yelan and I ended up in a town filled up with lanterns across the streets. It seemed so familiar, with many nice houses lined up in one area. There was the piazza, or the town square in the middle, and from there you could see the detail and care put into the place. Topiaries, flowers and decorations were strewn across the little town. However, the most magnificent view was the white-castle looking thing, but I could tell by the bell tower on top it was a temple.

"Where are we?" I said in awe.

"Tomoeda." Yelan replied.

"Tomoeda…?" I asked. I remembered Syaoran telling me before he ended up in Ling Shi, he was training in Tomoeda.

"So this is where Syaoran came from…" I mumbled to myself. "This place is gorgeous." I found it ironic that something so beautiful could share the same name as that snake, Tomo Eda.

"Let's go in the temple, shall we?" Yelan smiled mischievously.

"No way! If I knew anything about temples, I know they're heavily guarded." I replied.

There were people walking around us, and I was practically screaming as I said that. Funnily enough, none of the locals acknowledged Yelan's existence and mine.

"Trust me." She looked at me with her deep brown eyes, "Do you trust me?"

I nodded. This was getting all too weird. How could I dream about places I've never visited before, physically? Was this the Tomoeda that Syaoran had told me about? Why was I here?

Yelan and I casually walked past the guards who didn't seem to notice a thing. I was so nervous and scared, I thought my heart would drop out of my chest because it was going about 200 beats a second, I swear. I made it through without dying.

As we approached the temple front, I noticed something that shocked me immediately. I gasped as I saw the statue of Tomo Eda proudly erected there. I read the inscription:

'Supreme Priest Tomo Eda: the man who brought freedom and expelled evil, the almighty Holy one.'

"What the…" I said angrily, "What is this joke?" I pointed to the statue of Tomo Eda. "Please tell me this isn't real."

How stupid of me to ask a dream if the contents of a dream were real. Good going, but confusion and anger blinded me. I had this 'irrational' hatred towards Tomo Eda, but it was justified in my eyes. I haven't listed all the crimes he's done – only mine, and to see this monster – even if it was just a dream, known as a freedom fighter and a Holy one; they've got to be kidding me.

"This is the founder of Tomoeda." She stated calmly.

"H-how? Where are we? Are we in some alternate universe?"

Yelan looked really amused, but I found nothing amusing about this. At least it wasn't a sad dream, but I didn't enjoy angry nightmares either.

"Follow me." Yelan walked ahead. Reluctantly, I followed. I wanted to wake up but I couldn't – usually waking up for me would be falling in some hole or something but that has yet to come. This was ridiculous!

Upon walking inside it was much more elegant than the temple we had in Ling Shi. There were bronze statues and decorations laid out everywhere, and like the temple in Ling Shi, the floors and walls and columns were made of pure marble. Surely enough, there were pictures of Tomo Eda and the Eda family and what looked to be like successors.

"Oh my god." I mumbled to myself. I don't care if I was using God's name in vain, I couldn't find any other words to express my horror.

"Let's go this way." Yelan pointed to a grand staircase. It resembled a lot like the one at the temple. If this were truly Tomo Eda's temple, he lacked originality in constructing this place.

So Yelan and I walked up the stairs and eventually found ourselves in the library. It was guarded heavily actually, but we managed to walk through like ghosts. The guards never even noticed a thing, not even when the doors opened. They stood there like statues.

"Are we even supposed to be here?" I said. It felt silly to keep questioning actions of MY OWN dreams, but it just felt natural for me to ask. This dream felt absolutely real that I guess instinctively I had to ask – as I said, it was natural.

Yelan was searching through the endless array of books and finally she got was she was looking for.

"Ah ha, here it is." Yelan exclaimed.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You will know later." She smiled. She tucked it away in her robes stealthily. I can't believe it! She was stealing this book! Whatever it was.

"Take my hand." She said again.

I hesitantly took Yelan's hand and closed my eyes. I didn't know I could make such impulsive characters in my dreams. They were either good or bad; and as for Yelan, even though I trusted this 'dream person' I still felt uneasy. Especially when she had basically snuck into the temple – even if it were built in Tomo Eda's name, and she blatantly stole a book from the sacred archives right in my face!

I felt my body getting warm as I took Yelan's hand. When I opened my eyes we were no longer in the library, but somewhere else. We were outside again, but we weren't in the Tomoeda place anymore – no, it was familiar—we were back in Ling Shi – at least the Ling Shi I knew in my dreams.

The atmosphere had changed though. It was what I feared and in fact, it was desolate, dreary and spiritually lifeless.

"Burn the witch!" The crowds roared as they were marching towards the Ling Shi temple. It was the usual things that the mob were carrying. You know, the typical pitch forks, massive amounts of stones and torches.

Now this dream was all too familiar. Instead of me being at the stake, I was just a 'ghost' observing all what was going on. Except everything I could touch in this dream seemed real. The posters that were spread out all over Ling Shi, with my picture on it, "WANTED: SAKURA KINOMOTO, THE WITCH".

I never knew the context into why I was being burned at the stake, but now I had realized I was now seen as a witch. A witch isn't just a magical being who does evil things, but a witch was also someone who was a traitor to the faith, to the priesthood, to everything the temple stood for. Like a religious terrorist. Why was it that I, someone who had such strong faith in the temple, was now being burned at the stake? Even if this were just a dream it made no sense whatsoever. In fact, the religious terrorist here was Tomo Eda.

"Shall we go see what's going on?" Yelan looked down at me with her mysterious brown eyes. I nodded slowly. This was going to be interesting to see things in a different perspective.

We walked to the temple and sure enough, a huge mob – at least most of the island were there, gathered up to see me be tortured then burned to death. I saw myself helplessly tied up to the stake, my face looking desolate and lifeless, like I had lost hope.

"Burn the witch!" People chanted. "Burn the traitor!"

It was painful to see than it was to dream it in first person, really. At least you didn't really see how much damage was done to you – and I didn't feel pain either, because it was a dream. Though you could feel no physical pain the emotional and mental pain rested. I felt like I was about to cry – why did the people hate me so much?

"What is this?" I trembled, looking over to Yelan for answers.

She solemnly looked over to me and said, "This is the future of Ling Shi."

I gasped, "Is this really the future? I mean, this is just a dream. I am _dreaming_ the future."

"If you're not convinced you can read this." She handed the book she stole from the Tomoeda temple library, "But wait."

She closed her eyes and put her hand on the book, causing it to glow. All of the sudden, there were two copies. One in my hand and one in hers.

"The twin spell!" I said in recognition.

"You're the smart one." Yelan smiled at me.

"This doesn't make sense…" I said, "What's going on?"

"I promise I'll come see you again." Yelan leant over and hugged me, "Even though things don't make sense right now, and even though you don't know truly what's happening, you will eventually. Trust me." She looked into my eyes. Her eyes were so kind… so intense. They looked exactly like Syaorans. In fact, this woman, Yelan, looked a lot like Syaoran.

My heart started to beat fast again. I haven't thought of Syaoran much since this whole thing – because I was being thrown into every direction.

"Goodbye, then." I watched as she and I were fading away.

"Until next time." She held out her hand to me. Before I could grab it, she vanished.

That's when I knew I was waking up. I was falling into what seemed to be a singularity, an endless black hole in which I could never find the bottom.

Then I woke up.

**xXxXxXx**

"Good morning, little monster." Touya teased. "Did you sleep well?"

"Don't call me a monster, isn't it a bit too early for that?" I growled as I rubbed my eyes.

It was definitely mid-morning. The sun was up and risen and the sky was a clear blue today. It was beautiful weather, but being in this temple took all the majesty of the sunlight away. I had just realized I had woken up in this prison.

"I'm going to go to a meeting in a bit… are you okay here by yourself?" He asked me.

I nodded.

"I know you don't want to talk to people right now so I got you some of your food instead of the maids. I'll lock the door, even, how's that?" He smiled at me. "I want you to be safe, first and foremost."

"Alright, thank you, Touya." I said. "I'll stay here."

"If you need me… just ask for me, alright?"

I nodded.

Touya left the room and I was eventually left by my lonesome self.

Being here wasn't fun at all. I wish sometimes our family wasn't so important so I could bring Touya and Yukito and escape together. If we didn't stay – or at least if Touya didn't stay here… the island itself might be doomed. Just like in my dreams.

I yawned and rolled over to the side. I noticed a red book sticking out on the end table. I curiously sat up and crawled to the table from my bed and took the book. It was a shiny green book with gold tinted pages.

My eyes widened. This book was familiar – it was the same book Yelan, the dream woman, gave me in my dream!

What was it doing here? I thought that it was just a dream. How could something I had created from my dreams have made its way to the physical realm?

I opened the first page of the book. It said:

"Early Tomoeda History: The End of the Kinomoto Reign of Ling Shi"

"What?" I said to myself. "This can't be real, can it?"

I flipped through the pages. The book was written by some people I knew personally from the temple – but they were only children! In fact, half my age! How could children have written this book? Unless coincidentally, they had the same names as them – but the authors themselves had the Eda last name on them. They were Tomo Eda's little cousins, in fact.

I began to shake as I flipped through the book. If this thing was real, - then that meant whatever I just slept through must've been real too, to some extent. Including the future.

Then, I found a passage about my family and me. It said:

_'The Kinomoto family had reigned over Ling Shi for many centuries. While the start of the rule was promising, it began to decline as the Eda family and Kinomoto family had an internal conflict. The conflict was said to be about the criticisms of the Kinomoto rule – how it was too wishy-washy and not enough enforcement. Even though the temple council tried to rule and veto against some of the rules and legislations enforced by the Kinomotos, the Supreme Priest would have the final say. It was not until recently that the Supreme Priests could no longer have a final say and veto any decisions. However, even with that change the island spiraled downwards with it's irresponsible decisions, scatterbrained policies and Fujitaka's ruling was too expensive to keep running. Fujitaka Kinomoto, the last Supreme Priest before his Holy one, Tomo Eda, had put too much of the island's resources in the welfare of the people and not enough on expansion and military power. If the Eda family hadn't exterminated the Kinomoto family, the land of Tomoeda itself would not be here today and it would still be the lowly island of Ling Shi.'_

I couldn't believe what I was reading. Yet I was a masochist and decided to read more, even if it sent angry pulses in my head and made my heart constrict.

_'Tomo Eda's marriage to Sakura Kinomoto, the only daughter of Fujitaka Kinomoto, was the first step into Tomo Eda's reign and revolution that would take place. After Sakura Kinomoto had run away from home – it had already brought upon a bad reputation amongst the islandfolk. Sakura Kinomoto had originally refused to marry Tomo Eda, but with much convincing and deliberation between both parties, Sakura had agreed to marry Tomo Eda._

_It was there when things turned for the best._

_Touya Kinomoto, the successor to the late Fujitaka Kinomoto had passed away from a mysterious illness which had befallen Nadeshiko and Fujitaka Kinomoto._

_Since his marriage to his dear wife, Sakura Kinomoto, by relation Tomo Eda was now to be named the Supreme Priest of Ling Shi island. This brought the island to a great direction, now that the island was no longer under direct Kinomoto rule._

_His wife, however, would not cooperate or consummate the marriage which was strongly frowned upon in the temple. A wife should submit and love her husband no matter what, and now that Tomo Eda had become the new Supreme Priest it looked even more disrespectful and shameful. From then on, Sakura Kinomoto was known as Tomoeda's Maiden, or the Tomoeda Maiden due to the fact she would not consummate the marriage – which was supposed to be a sacred rite of passage. Sources from the temple had stated that Sakura and Tomo never slept in the same chambers and that fact was never clarified, but caused an outrage nonetheless._

_However, this is not where the trouble ended for Tomo. In fact, Sakura made it more difficult as time went on. Her refusal to hand over the Clow artefacts made things difficult for the island itself to progress, as all 4 Clow Artefacts were required to unlock the secret chambers underneath the temple, where Clow's body was put to rest._

_As time went on Sakura went mad, and started attacking people at the temple. She had in fact broken the number one rule to priesthood which was causing harm to other people, and since she had already broken so many rules and caused so much trouble that it needed to be known publically. A scandal erupted, which caused the revolution of the island. Sakura Kinomoto was now given the title as a witch – there were rumors that said she'd randomly attack people – or that she'd corrupt the minds of the young and old alike with her rebellion and refusal to comply with the rules. She was a horrible example of a woman and role model. Sakura was born into the elite Kinomoto family, and she was bringing it to shame which only proved the Kinomoto family was not elite at all, but a family of cretins who ruled the island in a weak manner for all these generations._

_Someone needed to rule the island with an iron fist, and that would've been Tomo Eda. Tomo Eda took full control of the island along with the agreement of the temple senate. People who sided with the Kinomoto's were either tortured until their views changed or for the fiercely loyal; were executed._

_Tomo Eda's reasoning for this is that the weak shall no longer occupy the island and that the strong will prevail. The strong being the ones who believed in a militarized island – no, nation, who would rule as a nation of strength and not of failure and weakness. Many people of the island saw this point of view, which has helped the Eda family reclaim it's reign on the 'throne', so to speak._

_Before, it had only been that persons living in the temple were to learn magic, but being an opportunist, Tomo Eda had invested the resources in training all the individuals with magic and giving them an equal opportunity instead of frivolously spending the money on landscaping and beautifying the island, which the Kinomoto family previously had done. Health and nursing benefits were no longer provided as healing was part of the regime. People now believed that those who could not perform magic were failures and would hinder the power that Ling Shi had the potential to have as a whole in manpower._

_Sakura Kinomoto still refused to cooperate and comply with the requests of her husband – in fact, she refused to even take his name. With everyone on the island agreeing and as well as the senate on the same page, the final verdict would be that Sakura Kinomoto be publically executed a slow, torturous death, for counts of disturbing the peace, being weak minded and refusing to be a good citizen.'_

I couldn't read anymore after that. I put the book down, then picked it up again and threw it against the wall. Someone please wake me up and tell me this whole thing was just a horrible dream.

"What did I just read?" I yelled. I curled up in a ball and started crying in my bed.

"Was this … actually the future?" I sobbed. "Is this for real? What is this horrible joke? Someone tell me! Please!" I yelled. I wanted this to be just a dream – Yelan would appear and tell me it was just a joke and I would just tumble into an endless black hole and I'd wake up.

I kept pinching myself and I winced every single time. It wasn't a dream at all. Neither was the book, as I could physically touch it and read it.

**xXxXxXx**

Suddenly, a knock at the door. I refused to answer it; and if it was either Yukito or Touya, they have the key and could simply just open the door.

To my surprise, it opened, but it wasn't who I was expecting. I felt my stomach drop and my blood level rise. This was the last person I wanted to see when I saw the door open just like that.

"I thought Touya locked the door." I said angrily, "Leave me alone, Eda."

"Is that any way to talk to me?" Tomo smirked. "I mean, we're friends, aren't we _Saku_?" I hated when he called me that. I hated the look of satisfaction he had on his smug face. I turned around, not even wanting to look at him.

Tomo Eda closed the door from behind him and locked it. Now, I was scared. I was ready to throw every magic spell I had on him – but he could easily just repel my magic as he wasn't a bad magician himself, and he was also physically powerful to the boot.

He sat down beside me and started to glide his fingers all over my body, like I was his toy.

"Don't touch me." I told him. I was shaking and he knew it, he sensed my fear and it fed his appetite. He kept touching me more, and then he started to kiss my neck.

"I said stop!" I slapped his face. I knew I shouldn't have done that because from the look of his face, he was now angry.

"That's not very respectful." He scowled. No? That's not respectful? Neither was touching me, you dirty ape. I couldn't bring myself to speak as I was so scared.

"Listen." His voice started to get noticeably cold. "If you want to know what's good for you, listen now you little harlot."

I gasped angrily at his use of language. How dare he call me a harlot? I wanted to chuck something at his head, but I felt my body give into the fear that had temporarily paralyzed me.

"I don't want to listen … to you." I squeaked. Tears were now forming in my eyes.

"Oh yeah? Well you're going to want to listen to me." He sounded so dominating and resentful. This was a different Tomo Eda, the one known only by a select few who didn't submit into what he deemed appropriate or what he wanted. In fact, the book I read got it right even though it was praising these heinous qualities. He was a brute who exterminated those who got in the way of what he wanted.

His lips curled into a smile and he sat behind me again, touching me all over my body. His hands went up my night gown as he started to aggressively fondle my breasts. I've never felt so disgusting and disgusted. I wanted my life to end here.

"Today, during your welcome-home banquet, I'm going to propose to you." He whispered my ear hoarsely.

I tried to get his slimy hands off of me, but his hands were far bigger and his strength was far more superior than mine, even more so at my state of mind right now. He was feeding off my fear and weakness and it turned him on in so many different ways.

"Like I'd do that!" I spat in his face. I felt his hand forcibly hit my face, which caused the left side of my cheeks to burn up. I've never been physically hit before, and this was the first time. I felt absolutely awful, lost, and worthless – the most absolute low I could ever get. I've been violated in so many ways within 24 hours. I wanted this horrible nightmare to end.

"You're GOING to say yes." He sneered, "Unless you know what's good for you."

I started to sob. "No!" I kept yelling over and over again. "I'd rather die than marry you!"

He evilly grinned at me, "Oh, I know, Saku." He pouted. "I don't know what made you hate me so much… but I know that you don't like me very much…" He breathed on my naked neck, "But I _love_ you."

"If you even had the capacity to love, you would never hurt someone you're in love with!" I cried.

"You were being disrespectful to me, you little whore. You deserved it and if you keep acting this way, you will get what's coming to you." He threatened.

"I'll never marry you, you despicable ass!" I never swore, but this was appropriate especially in this time. No way ever was I going to marry him.

"Oh yeah? If you don't… you're going to regret it. I swear." He took the picture of my brother on the counter and showed it to me.

"See this?" He said. He took the picture from the frame and started to rip it apart.

"No… don't hurt my brother." I sobbed, "Please, he's the only family I have left! You honestly can't be that cruel!"

"You won't have anyone left if you don't marry me. Go ahead and tell your brother, because I'll still get my way." He smirked, "So if you want both you and your brother to live, I suggest you comply with my requests." He threw the shredded pictures on the floor and cast a small fire on them, causing the little bits of paper to burn.

"I'll be waiting, Saku." He grinned. "If you accept, all the punishment and trouble you and your brother have caused the temple will be waivered."

The door was closed shut afterwards. I laid lifelessly on the bed after having experienced such violation. I have never been touched that way, and it made me feel like the dirtiest person alive. I've never been hurt that way – and the pain still stung my cheek. I've never been so mentally mutilated before. In a mere 24 hours my life went from peaceful and idyllic to an absolute hellhole.

I had no choice. If I didn't agree to his marriage proposal, I'd lose my brother too.

If I had to choose anyone else's life over mine, it'd have to be Touya's. He's taken care of me and sacrificed so much in his life for me that it'd just be sacrilege to let him die before me and before my very hands.

For the rest of the day, it went as planned. There was a huge banquet celebrating my return. Even though everyone was all smiles and even though I had a smile plastered on my face, I was probably the most miserable person sitting there in the room full of people. I barely ate and people noticed – but I just covered it up and said it was from all the stress.

I missed eating with Tomoyo, Eriol and Syaoran. I missed being happy and I wished I had someone to talk to. I wish I could cry in Tomoyo's arms… I wish I could cry in Syaoran's arms. I'd rather be anywhere but here.

The dreaded proposal I knew was coming – and everyone knew it was coming. Everyone expected this, and everyone expected me to accept; except my brother.

Tomo Eda got down on one knee with a sungem ring and asked for my hand in marriage. It was the most made-up, fakest thing I've ever had to witness. My heart dropped and I closed my eyes before giving an answer. When I closed my eyes, I felt an immense amount of guilt as I visualized Syaoran. I wish it was him proposing instead of Tomo Eda, at least Syaoran was a kind man.

I opened my eyes to see reality greet me cruelly. It was Tomo Eda's piercing blue eyes and smile that I had to look at. My eyes had gotten wet with tears and my brother had seen it.

I'm sorry, brother, for disappointing you. I know that you helped me escape so I could evade this moment. I swallowed everything left I had – my happiness, my dignity, as soon as I slipped the ring on my finger.

"I accept." I wept. No one really knew what emotion was underneath this crying face. People just believed it was tears of joy, but it was tears of agony.

The wedding was to be set 3 months from now. The fact that I was found was to be hidden from the island, and the wedding was expected to be grand with a whole parade and everything. Tomo Eda said he wanted his marriage and wedding to be one the townspeople and I woudn't forget.

All I could think of was Syaoran. I wished that he would just come here like he did the first time and just liberate me. This place felt like a burning house – and I wanted Syaoran to save me from it and bring me home. My actual home. With Tomoyo, Eriol, Nakuru and Syaoran. I wanted to be happy again.

Yelan said that I had the power to change my future and my destiny, but it seemed that in the book it was all laid down right in front of me, my dark miserable future with this man I hated. I could never learn to love him – but now I had to pretend like I did, or else I'd be beaten to death… or someone else I loved would get hurt. How could I change my future when I was so powerless to stop it? I was like a fish caught in a net. How could I escape this one?

Tomo Eda's promise did ring true, though. My wedding would be the wedding I wouldn't forget.

* * *

**Authors note:**

This is by far the longest chapter I've written for this story yet. YES, there's a lot going on and YES, there's some sexual content which is why it's rated T for teens. I felt so apprehensive writing Tomo Eda's character and what had just happened to Sakura. It's confusing still, but there's still a lot more to go. There's many significance to the dreams in which everything will be tied up soon, I promise. Thank you for reading and since I'm feeling happy and I had a day off with no homework or anything I wrote this up. So here you go!

R&R!


	16. Chapter 16: The Wedding

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter XVI: The Wedding**

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There wasn't a day that went by when I desperately tried to look for Sakura. Apparently, she was still missing and people were still looking for her around the island, and even the temple officials were still off 'looking' for her. If Sakura wasn't in the temple, where could she have gone? Could it be she finally had escaped and fled the island?

For 3 months I'd come home everyday to bring disappointing news to everyone at the manor. The mood just wasn't the same now. Everyone seemed to be upset all the time, especially Tomoyo, who got especially moody and emotional. It was hard to deal with her, and I could only imagine Eriol who had to console her every night as she cried.

I tried to visit the temple but it was heavily guarded, it would be impossible to try and get in. It was still in a state of disarray because they were still looking for Sakura. Which meant that she could still be out there somewhere.

I tried to keep strong and keep faith that Sakura was still alive and safe. I had to, because if no one else did, who would? It was for this very reason I persevered and kept training and held back my tears even though I wanted to break down crying, too. I missed Sakura so much, even more so than I missed my family back in Heung Gong.

I had almost fully completed my training with Eriol. It got better and better in terms of my spiritual capabilities and magical skills, which have improved greatly ever since Sakura had disappeared. Do not get me wrong; it's not that I'm happy Sakura was gone, in fact, it was quite the contrary, but having faith and belief that everything will be alright and that she will be alright and that I actually have broken down to the point I feel like there's _some_ being watching her had amplified my powers in some process I cannot quite explain. I felt much stronger in a spiritual sense which vastly improved my overall magical strength. I felt less drained and more energized, because I strongly wanted to believe someone out there was watching over Sakura. That she'd return to us one day. That she'd return to me one day.

If I knew she'd be gone for this long amount of time, or if I knew that she'd possibly be gone forever – I feel regret now that I had been such a coward for not telling her that I loved her, that I needed her and that I never ever wanted to lose her. Yet here it was, reality, Sakura was gone. I had lost her in some inexplicable circumstances and I was never able to see her again. The worst part was, I didn't know when. That's why I had to believe.

I had to believe in something else.

I had to believe in her.

**xXxXxXxXx**

I knew that I would disappoint Tomoyo and it really hurt both of us; another day, but no Sakura. It was 3 whole months since Sakura had been gone from our lives. This feeling was way worse than death, because with death, there was certainty. There was certainty that someone no longer existed and that they ceased their existence, and that they were just another corpse buried in the ground.

No, Sakura was missing without any hint of being either alive or dead.

For the first time ever, I started to pray. I started to pray to whatever Gods there were up there that Sakura would come back, as happy as she was before, and keep us all happy again. The absence of Sakura caused tension and emotional turmoil here – and we all hated it. She was the glue that held us closely together, but now everything was unwinding. The glue lost its potency.

I don't care if I was done my training or nearly done. I would never leave this island until I see Sakura alive and well, and in my arms. I don't care about any duties I had in my home land. I didn't care about being a King – which drove me mad. All my priorities changed and shifted gears, because of Sakura. It was because I was so madly in love with her, and each day whether or not she was still around, my love intensified as my determination for her did.

My responsibility was Sakura now. Not ruling some Kingdom I'm not even fit to rule, especially at this current state. It wasn't my job right now and it wasn't my goal. I had to find her, I couldn't give up. I know I haven't searched every nook and cranny and crevice on this island – there has to be some way; and perhaps she even casted a loop spell. I was hopeful, but I knew my magic had gone significantly up since then and I was now able to detect if there were environment altering spells casted about.

I put my cape back on and headed out the door once more. I was not rested or satisfied until I came home with Sakura. This had been my life for the past 3 months. This was the ultimate endurance and training for me – not silly magic spells. This was my challenge, and I duly accept.

"I'm going with you." Tomoyo said in a determined voice. She started to put on her boots and cape as well.

"No!" I protested. "Tomoyo, you're pregnant for heavens sakes. You don't need the extra stress."

"I don't care anymore." Tomoyo cried, "I can't sit here and do nothing! Sakura's gone and… I can't handle this anymore. I'm honestly going to go crazy staying in this house. I've been confined here enough – I need to go with you and that's that." She gave me a cold look. It brought shivers down my spine and consequently caused me to accept.

"Tomoyo?" Eriol walked from behind us.

"Eriol, I'm leaving, I don't care what you say." She opened the door, "I'm going to find her."

I've never seen Eriol look so conflicted. He looked down at the floor, then back at Tomoyo.

"I can't let you and the baby go alone." He said. "Trust me. I'll go with you." He had a hint of worry in his eyes, as if he knew something was going to happen next. It was surprising since Eriol did not argue with Tomoyo as he usually did – not out of malice, but he was trying to rationalize with Tomoyo's pregnancy-induced sudden burst of irrationality.

"Eriol, are you sure?" I asked. I knew Eriol never left the house – and he had explained why to me in a training session. Apparently he had cast a spell on this whole property – a really strong spell, enough so that from the outside people just saw it as an empty space, but in actuality it was … well, Eriol's property. It was his and he said he would only allow those who he deemed worthy to see the property in it's true form. This is what had kept all of us, especially Tomoyo and Sakura, protected all this time. If Eriol had left the premises then the spell would not work and everyone would be in danger. The spell had a power to shield magical presence and aura. Although Eriol would leave the premises, it'd still be invisible to others, but it would radiate a high concentration of magical energy, which is pretty much a visible red flag for those who can sense magic.

So once Eriol leaves the house, no one can still see it, but people could feel it if they knew.

"There's no use staying here." He told me with serious eyes. He put on his robe and cape as well, "I've only really casted this spell for Tomoyo and Sakura's sake… well, originally Tomoyo… but now that she's leaving for the first time since she's gotten here, the spell is useless." He explained. "It was for her protection but she is willingly going unprotected, so I must be there for her."

"You're acting as if there's going to be something huge up ahead." I said lowly.

"You never know." Eriol told me. "Some things are just unexpected. You have to expect the unexpected sometimes."

I nodded.

We soon headed out, the three of us. Nakuru would keep a watch at the manor in case Sakura did turn up or if something happened.

**xXxXxXxXx**

The town had a different atmosphere today. There were balloons, banners and streamers all laid out over town. The posters that had Sakura's face were removed so swiftly – it was a drastic change from yesterday. The roads and streets were all cleaned up and everyone seemed so happy.

"What's going on?" Tomoyo asked.

"This is different." I said while keeping a low and alert gaze on things. "It was different than yesterday."

"It looks like a party is about to happen." Eriol observed.

He was right. The town was decorated nicely, which was unusual since the past few months, even before Sakura's disappearance, the town itself and the island had been neglected. Everything was done properly; the hedges cut and so was the grass which was also freshly cut as well.

"Hurry, before we miss it!" We heard one little girl yell to her mother. She was grabbing her mother's hand, running to the town square.

"Missing what?" Tomoyo raised an eyebrow.

"Let's go see." Eriol said.

I said nothing because in the back of my mind, I felt like I wasn't going to like what I was going to see. What could have possibly caused such excitement and such a drastic change in the town all the sudden? For these past few months all I've seen was people frantically searching for Sakura—and all the sudden, the town seemed to be ready to have a party.

Like the mother and her daughter, we ran as fast as we could to the town square.

When we got to the town square, there were people lined up as if there was a parade. It was here where the decorations got even more elaborate. Since no one really lived in Eriol's part of the island, the decorations weren't as grand as the ones in the town square going towards the temple, no. It was far more sophisticated. With paper lanterns and paper dragons strewn about. Red and gold balloons were spread all over the place, as red and gold – I was told by Sakura, that those colours were really important on the island. As was the symbolism of the dragon, the moon, sun and stars.

In the middle of the town square was a huge pedestal, a stage, that was surrounded by red curtains. It was really decorated well – it even had a roof. There were 3 important looking chairs on the stage and a stand on which a book would usually sit. Above the chairs there was a giant sign of the official Ling Shi seal. I knew this has got to be important or a big deal; and to be honest, I've never seen any official temple people besides the people looking for Sakura, and Sakura herself of course.

"They're all lined up for a parade." I said.

Tomoyo and Eriol looked at each other with unease.

We all looked in anticipation to see what was up.

There were crowds of people chattering and happily going about in their lives, as if what happened the past few months with Sakura leaving and causing chaos and turmoil around town had suddenly just dissipated. Could it be? What was the occasion? The celebration?

It was crowded here. Too much noise, too much people – I've never seen so many people gathered around here on Ling Shi before. It would be common back home when our family would walk down the streets of the capital city of Heung Gong and people would line up in a parade to see us.

Perhaps it was something similar, perhaps it was Sakura's brother finally being appointed Supreme Priest. I don't know. I guess I was about to find out very soon what this was all about.

From a distance we could hear music come closer to us. It was a beautiful sight. There were dancers and women dancing about to start the parade, all dressed in a particular makeup that looked bold and daring – they almost looked like dragons with the way their makeup was set. They had red and gold dresses in which they could easily dance and throw their fans up in the air.

Followed by the dancers were numerous people playing instruments; from mandolins, to flutes, to drums. It was a nice cheerful melody that I was unfamiliar with, especially in this place. It was funny how my first impression of Ling Shi it seemed to be a beautiful place, but in the end looks weren't what was important and you could see the very ugly core, the foundation, of this place. So it was a nice change to see this kind of performance.

People were really loving it, I could see it in their expressions and eyes. Especially the children, they were in awe like I was.

After what seemed like hundreds of people dressed up in costumes and beautiful dresses, the main event has finally began to reach the stage and town square at last. The music was still playing loudly, but progressively got quieter and quieter as a giant throne was being carried by numerous people. I could not see the people in the throne as numerous layers of red see through fabric were veiling it. I knew whoever was in there was the people to be speaking and sitting on that stage.

"What's the occasion?" I said to Tomoyo. I tried as best as I could to make myself audible.

She looked at me with sad eyes but replied, "I don't know." I knew better when she was lying, though. Eriol didn't say anything and instead kept quiet, placing his hand on Tomoyo's shoulder. He was rubbing it in a way he'd rub it when he knew she was going to get upset.

The throne was then set on the ground, where people suddenly got quiet and the music stopped. Some pretty important looking people walked on the stage, but the people who were in the throne have yet to move.

The first man to go on the stage was a tall man with dark hair. He had brown eyes and from the moment I looked at him, he reminded me of Sakura.

"Is that Sakura's brother?" I whispered to Tomoyo.

"…Yeah." She said hesitantly. "So it is. I wonder what he has to say…" She bit her bottom lip, looking at both me and Eriol nervously.

Sakura's brother looked so drained and stressed out; and for a happy event like this he surely didn't look happy at all. He looked angry and annoyed, that he looked like he did not want to be here. Alongside him was a silver haired man, who looked very young, despite his hair colour. He wore glasses and also had brown eyes. They were both wearing white robes, which I remembered were important in the temple; and were only to be worn by the important people in the temple. It was a weird hierarchy and system, but hey, whatever works for these people.

Then, the moment of truth came. Some festive music started playing as the two people who were in the throne were coming out, one person from each side.

The first person that came out was a man in eloquent red and gold robes made of silk. He wore a hat, similar to the one back in Heung Gong when people got married. Though I knew in many places they wore wedding hats. The wedding hat had the Ling Shi emblem on it. I knew now this was a wedding, which is why everyone was so happy. I never knew weddings here were this grand; but I guess it was a temple wedding and the temple here seemed like a palace anyway – strictly going by definition here, though. I never said it was happy or luxurious like a palace, because clearly Tomoyo and Sakura were so desperate to leave it.

The man looked powerful, actually. He was big – not flabby by any means, but very muscular. He had lightly tanned skin and deep blue eyes; not like Eriol's or Tomoyo's, but these blue eyes that seemed devoid of life, but at the same time carried much intensity.

He looked happy and proud. He stood in front of Sakura's brother on the stage, as if awaiting for the other person to come out from the portable throne.

The figure slowly crept out of the throne. Her face and head was covered by a red veil that masked most of her features. The woman underneath had her hair down to her shoulders, but lightly curled on the ends a bit. That's what I could see from the head, anyway.

She was skinny, in fact, a bit too skinny. Even through her robes you could see that she was perhaps malnourished or maybe just skinny. She walked slowly towards the stage, as if she never wanted to be there in the first place.

Her robes was the most impressive – in fact, it wasn't a robe, but a beautifully layered dress also made of red and gold silk. There were chrysanthemums on the design of the robe as well. There were many pleats and fabric to this dress, which is why it's surprising someone still looked really skinny under all that fabric and layers.

A family of people soon came after from the other side of the stage to join Sakura's brother and the other person standing beside Sakura's brother. One man was thin and obviously getting really old. He had the same eyes as the groom, assuming this was a wedding, and was in fact an older version of the man getting married. My only guess was this was the father.

The second person was a woman who looked really miserable to be there, but had to keep a front to show she was happy. After all, this was a wedding. No sadness allowed – at least that's what I was told. There were 4 other men standing alongside the old couple. They all looked alike mostly, except maybe different eye colours or hair colour – but they still had that distinct visage to them that if a stranger like me were to observe from afar, one could deduce that they were related and if not, brothers.

Everyone was anxious to see who was underneath the veil. From what I heard about the gossip, this man, Tomo Eda, was going to get married.

Heh, Tomo Eda. It sounded so familiar… I can't help but feel like I've heard of it before. No, it wasn't the town… I think Sakura had mentioned a Tomo Eda once, and if not Sakura, maybe Tomoyo.

When I realized that the other party – the bride's family did not go on stage, I felt myself freeze and my heart drop. I tried to piece each thing together. If the family over there was the groom's family, then where was the bridge's family?

I looked over to Touya and the other man standing there all by their lonesome.

Judging from Tomoyo's look, she had already known about this. She took a good look at me, soon realizing that I had realized the nature of this event. My eyes went wide and my body was being pumped with adrenaline.

"No…" I told Tomoyo.

She looked over to me with such blank eyes, before returning her gaze to the stage.

"Let's go closer." She whispered. She took both mine and Eriol's hands and she managed to sneak her way through to the very front, the most front one can get. No one seemed to care at this point, as the townspeople were gushing with excitement and anticipation to see who the bride was. Apparently it was a mystery, but now the mystery will be unveiled, quite literally.

I hope my hunch is incorrect for once.

I clenched my fists and hoped it wasn't who I thought it was under the veil.

"You look beautiful." The groom said audibly to his soon-to-be bride, as he lifted her veil up for everyone to see.

Tomyo, Eriol and I all gasped in unison as we have seen the veil come off the bride's face. I think the townspeople were as equally surprised.

Afterwards, a sea of people cheered around us as they figured out that yes, the person under this veil was Sakura Kinomoto herself.

"I thought she was dead!" One said out loud.

"I thought she was never found…" Another said.

"Really? I thought they had her all along."

Speculation and gossip spread like wildfire through whispers in the crowd. The groom looked incredibly pleased, as with his family. Sakura's brother had a sour disposition throughout, especially with the whole flux of gossip going on right now.

"What the hell is going on?" I tried to keep my cool, I tried not to scream, cry, or kill someone right now. I wanted to scream at someone because I couldn't contain my emotions – it was like a volcano just wanting to erupt and spew lava all over the place. I was gritting my teeth in anger.

"Oh my goodness…" Tomoyo looked like she was about to faint. Tears were falling down her face. "Why, Sakura, why?" She whispered.

Eriol looked over to me and Tomoyo with a sad look. Even he didn't understand what was going on. We all looked up at the stage.

Sakura looked over to the crowd to reveal herself. She stood there in silence with a little smile. I knew Sakura better than that, though. She wasn't smiling up there – she was upset. I knew it. I knew when her eyes weren't her usual emerald colours, but the paler, lighter shade of green I'd only see when she was upset. She was smiling with her lips but her eyes were frowning in agony.

"Yes, everyone." The groom said, "I know many of you have heard of a wedding from the temple for a while now…"

He took Sakura's hand.

"It was because we had found Sakura – actually, I had found Sakura…" He smirked, "She's come home to us because she couldn't stay away from me." He boasted.

My eyebrow was twitching. Who was this guy? I swear to god I was going to pull my sword at him at any moment and decapitate him. What the hell was he doing with Sakura and why was she marrying this sad excuse of a man? Underneath those muscles revealed a weak buffoon. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"I hope this is some horrible dream." I grumbled. I kept my eyes fixated on Sakura the whole entire time.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience I've caused." Sakura said lightly with a hint of fear in her voice. Her fake smile was still plastered on her face, "I had realized the error of my ways and the trouble I've caused everyone here. As a priestess, I should've realized my duties and not have selfishly gone out and turn on my beliefs and responsibilities." I could see from here her fists were clenched and lightly shaking too.

Everyone looked in disbelief at to what they've just witnessed, myself included. That soon was gone when everyone cheered and got into the whole excitement and atmosphere of things.

"That's okay, Priestess, we forgive you!" The people clapped.

"I would normally perform weddings and marry my baby sister off…" Sakura's brother said, "But I, Touya Kinomoto, am acting as Sakura's guardian today and as such with temple regulations, even if I am the heir to the Supreme Priest title, I cannot marry off my sister and perform the ceremony. My right hand man, Yukito Tsukishiro will have the honour." He bowed to the man known as Yukito.

How ironic was it that Sakura was having a marriage ceremony performed by the guy Tomoyo claimed that Sakura was once in love with. I heard their little spat at the dinner table one time.

I couldn't believe I stood here for about 4 hours. Two hours watching the gratuitous wedding parade, and now I was standing here watching the girl I had been desperately searching for 3 months and the girl I was madly in love with being married off to some guy I didn't know – and obviously she wasn't happy at all.

I knew her. I knew Sakura.

So why?

Why would she purposely shaft us all in the back? Why would she just leave and not come back? It wasn't her character at all. She didn't even bother letting us know she was alive and well. Why would she willingly go back to the temple she claimed she so ardently hated, only to be miserable once more? Why was she standing at this altar?

I didn't want to cause a scene so I stayed quiet. Perhaps after the ceremony I could talk to her. I wanted to ask why. I wanted to shake her, yell at her, and ask her why.

After two long hours of a long series of words and phrases, it was finally down to the wedding vows.

"Will you, Tomo Eda, take Sakura Kinomoto as your wife? To cherish her, love her and treasure her forever?" Yukito looked at Tomo Eda with a displeased look. He had a smile on, but again, eyes say everything.

"I do." Tomo Eda said charmingly. He looked into Sakura's eyes and smiled at her. Quite frankly, that made me sick. Again, why?

"Will you, Sakura Kinomoto, take Tomo Eda as your husband? To cherish him, love him and treasure him for all eternity?" Yukito looked at her caringly and apprehensively.

"Don't do it, Sakura." Tomoyo whispered.

Sakura looked over to the crowd briefly, as if she heard Tomoyo's words. It was only merely a few seconds, but it felt like several minutes. Time stood in a frozen state. Sakura looked over to us, where me, Tomoyo and Eriol stood. Her eyes slightly widened in surprise, then he looked over to Tomoyo with sad, helpless eyes. She then looked over to me with hurt, regretful eyes.

"You don't have to do this." I mouthed with my lips.

Then, time went back to it's normal course. Sakura was fighting herself on the inside. She was fighting conflict inside of her. She looked over to her older brother for approval. She took a deep breath and nooded.

"I do." She started to cry.

Everyone saw it as tears of joy.

For people who knew Sakura, it was tears of misery and torture.

She had bound herself to this invisible contract known as marriage. She was bound to this guy – she was no longer free.

The two exchanged rings quickly, then Tomo Eda forcefully kissed her on the lips. I saw how Sakura's body tensed up in disgust, but she complied with it anyway.

"I love you." Tomo Eda said to Sakura.

"… I love you." She replied with a meek voice.

At that very moment, even though I knew this was all fake in a sense, my heart still broke. It felt like it had just shattered into a million pieces. I still continued to fight the tears, because I couldn't cry. Not now, not at this. Syaoran Li doesn't cry. Especially not over a girl who just pretty much flat out gave a permanent rejection with no hope.

Sakura was a wholesome, good girl. She was married now, and even if I did love her and wanted to be with her, and if for some reason she wanted to be with me, it couldn't happen. She was married – and even though our beliefs and systems are very different, it is universally known that being unfaithful to your spouse was a huge no in every society.

Everyone erupted in joy and encouragement. Objects were flying all over the place, including grains of rice, coloured paper, golden coins…

"I'm so happy for my sister." Touya said dryly. We all knew that he wasn't, even Tomo Eda could tell he wasn't.

"I'm glad to be a part of your family." He responded to Touya's sarcasm.

Sakura then looked over to me and Tomoyo. "Excuse me, may I go get some air? It's really hot out here."

Her newly wed husband looked over to her skeptically. He didn't want to make a scene, so he agreed. "Alright, my love." He smiled.

I think both myself and Sakura's brother rolled our eyes at that exchange.

Sakura was pointing her eyes towards an empty, secluded spot. It seemed I was due for my explanation sooner than I thought. All 3 of us went to the spot Sakura had spotted and waited for her to sneak here.

I wanted answers. I wanted to know why. I wanted to know what happened – I knew I wouldn't get the answers I wanted, especially now, when Sakura was in a different life now. A different place – and right now she wasn't even supposed to be talking to me, a 'peasant'. Hah. At least that's probably what her husband thinks.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Sakura took a card out of her pocket and yelled, "Time!"

She walked towards us now without having to sneak off somewhere. Eriol had a staff out as well, which I did not notice until Sakura casted this spell. She had never taught me the time spell, but I have known of it.

She was always weary to use any spell which required bending time.

Everyone, including her husband, was frozen in time. Everyone except for me, Tomoyo, Eriol and herself.

We all looked at Sakura with confused, hurt eyes.

"Hey…" Sakura said weakly as she slowly walked towards us. She was wearing high shoes which hindered her walking abilities. She got to us as best as she could.

"What's going on?" Tomoyo pleaded. "Please tell me what we just had to watch for the past … I don't know, 5 hours?" Tomoyo started to sob into Sakura's robe. Sakura watched her cousin sadly.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, stroking her cousins hair.

"We don't have much time to talk…" Sakura said, "I haven't been feeling very well so my energy isn't at its peak. Time will continue to flow when I run out of energy… so if you're going to yell at me now, you might as well do it now."

"I'm going to let you two talk it out." Tomoyo sniffled, letting go of Sakura.

Eriol looked over to Sakura with serious eyes, "I'm channeling my energy as well to help you out." He looked over to both me and Sakura, nodding.

"…Syaoran." She said with shame in her eyes. She avoided each gaze I tried to give her.

We both walked to another secluded area where both Eriol and Tomoyo could not hear us.

"I'm so sorry, Syaoran." Sakura said with tears. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble – from the very beginning."

"I don't understand. How could you leave like that?" I punched the tree, looking away from her. I was channeling all my confusion, sadness and anger onto this poor tree. I had left a mark on the tree's base.

"I'm sorry." Sakura didn't even try to defend herself; which was the sickening part.

"So that's it, just a sorry? No explanation?" I raised my voice.

"I can't." She said. "I'm just sorry for putting you and Tomoyo and Eriol through all this trouble. Now you know to stop your search." She sobbed, looking away from me.

"Don't ever look for me again." Sakura cried. "I'm… God, I'm so sorry, Syaoran."

"You can keep apologizing but that still doesn't explain why you did it."

"Please, never talk to me again." She pleaded. "Just forget about me."

"God damn it, why won't you answer my simple question?" I yelled, "I don't need no stupid apology!" I couldn't help it. I felt bad yelling at her, but an apology wasn't what I wanted right now. I wanted answers. I wanted to know everything – and why, on the supposedly biggest day of her entire life, that she was sobbing like a baby and looking miserable? If she had just eloped and left the manor to go be with her lover boy, she could've just honestly told me. It wouldn't affect her; I mean… my heart was already breaking and I'm still angry.

"No." She looked at me sternly. "You don't deserve an explanation." She said angrily.

I was taken aback by her sudden personality change. She went from a sobbing little helpless girl to suddenly… this.

"Why the hell not? After all the trouble you put us through looking for you for these past 3 months, I think EVERYONE deserves an explanation of your careless actions. Do you think we all thought it was all great we spent day and night looking for you and worrying for you?"

"I said I was sorry." She said bitterly, "God, why don't you just leave me alone, Syaoran. I never asked for your help." She bit her bottom lip.

I really hoped she was putting a front up, or that she was lying.

"God damn it, Sakura…" I wanted to say it, I wanted to tell her I loved her. What was the point though? At this moment, Sakura didn't need to hear what I had to say. She didn't want to hear it, and she was too stubborn to listen.

"Goodbye, Syaoran." She turned away. "Don't look for me again or think about me again."

"No. Just give me the reason why you left." I pleaded.

She turned to me one last time, giving me the coldest, meanest look that Sakura has ever given me before. She stomped her foot on the ground and clenched her fists.

"Because I couldn't stand all of you. In fact, it was you that made me leave." She said with a strained voice, "I couldn't stand how you acted towards me – how you made me feel uncomfortable and weird."

She turned around again, "Besides, all the while I was in love with someone else at the temple. That man happened to be my husband that you've seen me just kiss moments ago."

"Seriously?" I asked her. "You love _that_ man? I can see it in your eyes that you hate him."

"No one asked you to be the judge of my relationships or life, Syaoran. The truth of the matter is that I left and that I'm happy now, alright?" Her voice was getting weaker and weaker, "So just leave me alone."

I was defeated. Each and every harsh word that she said were like little sharp daggers just stabbing me all over my body. They were the worst pain imaginable because unlike the magic spells Sakura used to hit me with, or Eriol's magic spells, none of those ever hit where it truly hurt most: my heart and my pride.

There I stood, as time began to play in motion again, letting my tears drop to the ground. This wasn't the Sakura Kinomoto I knew. Sakura was sweet and enjoyed her freedom more than anything else in the world. Now she was this cold person, who had just given up her freedom for what?

I wasn't satisfied with her response. She wanted to leave me alone, but I could see it in her face – she didn't want to be left alone. She wanted to be saved. I knew though that would be a task in itself. Her husband looked like a tool and the temple was like trying to cross a fully armed castle. Unless you wanted to be blown to smithereens by magic, no one would go near it unless authorized. What was I to do? Sakura wanted me gone… but I didn't want her gone. I wanted to know what she was hiding and running away from; and most importantly, why didn't she want to talk to me? Why did she so blatantly lie in my face?

I tried to keep calm and rationalize as I did, but my mind was blown. It was as if the same person suddenly switched personalities just like that.

That wasn't the Sakura I knew.

* * *

**Authors note:**

I realise I might get flamed for this, LOL. But yeah. There can't always be roads that are smooth, sometimes there's bumps and sometimes there's potholes. Hm, you'll have to find out next chapter what's really going on inside each others heads. What could've possibly made Sakura do a complete 180? I feel so bad for Sakura personally because she's marrying that sicko, but moving on then...

Read and review. :D I want to get 100 reviews just because 3 digits seems nicer. I'm so happy more people are reading my story. I'm actually in the process of planning my 2nd CCS fanfiction after this one finishes, and if the scheduling is right I could probably finish this story by this month because of Reading Week (my classes are just term papers, no exams, yes!) so I'll have a full week to slack off... and probably write.


	17. Chapter 17: Dreams, Part II

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter XVII: Dreams, Part II**

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As I left the town square, my heart and head started to pound like crazy; both my head and heart hurt because of confusion and because I had just witnessed the girl I loved get married! I still couldn't believe it even though I watched it with my two eyes. Even Eriol and Tomoyo were witnesses of this event - I couldn't have been dreaming or I couldn't have been wrong. It happened, it really did.

My spirit had been dampened.

I wandered off alone to the manor after Sakura's little spat towards me. I simply just didn't understand what went through her head. How could a person so drastically change like that within 3 months? Why would she say those things to me?

She was my best friend in the house. I told her a lot of my feelings, secrets and even dreams. How could someone like that just shaft me in the back like that?

It didn't add up and didn't make sense. I fondly remember the day she vanished; she even told us she was coming home. Now she was spewing this nonsense that she had purposely left and she hated me or whatever – it was all the same but it was just different words. The point of the matter was that she obviously didn't want to be around me, or so she claimed. Either way, whether she meant it or not, today I realised that words did hold lots of value and power, whether they were true or not. They hurt, they really really did, especially coming from Sakura.

As I got home I immediately just ran to my room and screamed out loud all by myself. Echoes could be heard in Eriol's spacious mansion. My actions were based on pure emotion at this point, I had never felt this overwhelmed by feelings. I knew that I cried into my pillow and screamed even more, trying to release the feelings I had trapped inside. No matter how much I screamed or how much I cried, it was all in vain. I was crying over Sakura who had hurt me and had married someone else. I was crying over something I had no control over any longer. If she didn't want me to help her, them I couldn't.

At this point I had no will to do anything. I was completely stripped and devoid of any trust towards anyone, my pride had been shattered and having my guard down meant falling in love with Sakura. Sakura had given me the best feeling, and most important feeling to me and had pulled it away like that, stepping on it and then crushing it into a billion little pieces, before spitting on it and setting it on fire.

I haven't cried like that in a while, or if ever. I cried myself to sleep and then found myself slipping into a dream, something I don't usually get. It's usually black out for several hours, then boom, sunlight.

**xXxXxXx**

"Syaoran, my son, don't cry." A familiar voice said. I slowly opened my eyes, which were still covered in tears.

My vision was blurry so I rubbed them until the lids didn't stick together anymore. The blur slowly came into focus as I looked up and saw my mother looking down at me.

I had my head on her lap, just like when I was a child, and she was consoling me.

"Where am I? Is it really you, mother?" I asked in disbelief

She put her hand on my cheek and nodded. I felt the familiar warmth and comfort when she touched me, which made me cry even more for some reason. I wasn't just crying anymore, but sobbing because I was filled with these overwhelming emotions and feelings.

"What's wrong?" She said as she wiped my tears away with her handkerchief.

"Everything." I told her. "I can't believe this, I'm crying like a little child… only weak people cry."

"You out of all the people I know aren't weak." She whispered. "Trust me."

"I failed you, mother." I said. "I'm an utter failure. I can't even return to Heung Gong because … I'm stuck in a place called Ling Shi. I don't know when I can come home…" It was true. I couldn't physically go home because of the stupid ferry system and I couldn't go home because apparently no one on the entire world knows where Ling Shi is, so how could my mother send a fleet of ships to come get me? It's dishonourable to come get someone doing a pilgrimage – it was my duty to get home myself after I was done all the needed training.

"Don't be so down on yourself, Syaoran." My mother said. "Whatever it is you're going through, you'll persevere." She smiled, "You're a Li, after all. A descendant of Clow Reed himself."

"Tell mother what's wrong, my child."

I had explained to her that I had fallen in love with a foreigner—someone here. Already that brought great dishonour in me. My mother did not express any expression that would otherwise show that she was bothered. Instead, she listened with such a kind and caring expression, the one I had grown accustomed to for most of my life.

I told about Sakura. Everything, from how we met, to how I trained with her. I had apologized profusely for going against her wishes to train with Eriol. Again, she seemed unphased.

"Your purpose to go to Tomoeda was to train, was it not?" She smiled. "Eriol was just someone…" She paused, trying to think of a word.

"…Yes, someone who would help you along your way." She had a mysteriously amused tone in her voice.

Then came the part where I told my mother she was essentially a fugitive here, a runaway with a huge bounty over her head.

Finally I told her how Sakura supposedly ran away willfully and then the outcomes that came with it. How I searched restlessly and endlessly for Sakura, how I lost my sleep and appetite because of her disappearance. That everyone in the house went through a whole emotional rollercoaster because of Sakura.

"If what Sakura said was true, she was a selfish person. You'd think we'd deserve an answer." I said angrily to my mother. "She essentially said she hates me, after all we've been through together…"

"If Sakura is as much of a good person you said she was when she was with you, then don't give up." My mother said. "Perhaps there was something that brought upon this sudden change in character?"

"She got married today, mother. No amount of physical pain could have hurt as much as it did today." My throat was constricting because I was feeling really upset again. My head started to pound as I could not wrap the comprehension around anything that has just happened.

Nothing made sense, heck, even talking to my mother right now didn't make sense. How was it I was able to talk to my mother when I was far away from her? Yet she was here – or at least it felt like it. Her perfume that she'd lightly spritz on herself had the fragrance still lingering around in the air. In dreams, you don't really feel someone's warmth, do you? As I laid my head on my mother's lap, as juvenile as it sounds, it was warm and it evoked feelings of nostalgia.

"You're heartbroken." She finally said. She looked over to me with such sympathy and locked her arms around me to form a comforting embrace.

"It doesn't make sense." I told her.

"Come, follow me." She stood up. I was kneeling on the ground, looking up at my mother as she extended her hand to me.

"Where are we going?" I said anxiously.

My mother closed her eyes and started chanting words I could not quite hear or understand; but before you know it, we were both floating in midair.

"Ah!" I screamed as I clutched onto my mother's arm like a child. This is not how a man should act.

My mother laughed, "You're not going to fall, Syaoran. Let go and you will see."

I did let go of my mother hesitantly. If there's one thing you all must know is that I'm really terrified dying. You know, if you put being way up in the air paired with the force of gravity, it makes for a lovely mortal situation.

"Let's go this way." My mother floated; no, she was flying in the air. So was I. The wind was hitting my face – and I knew that this was just a vivid dream. An extremely vivid dream. Even though it was just a dream, I never got them quite that often and it was refreshing to see my mother again; whether it was in reality or this dream state.

We were in Tomoeda again.

"What are we doing here?" I asked my mother.

"To know the truth." She closed her eyes.

"What truth?"

"You will see." She drifted down to the ground, where she led me to the white castle-looking temple in Tomoeda. I had admired its beauty in the past, but I did not have time to actually look at it.

"Come here, Syaoran." My mother commanded as she dexterously went pas the guards.

Was she crazy? There were armed guards right there – with weapons and all.

"They can't see you." She said. "Watch." She waved and danced around the guards so carelessly and to my surprise, they did not react at all to her childish behaviour. I even felt slightly embarrassed – my mother was the _Queen_, she shouldn't be acting that way!

"Mother!" I yelled in annoyance. I felt my cheeks flush – how humiliating My mother was always the serious type so I have never been accustomed to this side of her. I followed her lead with much hesitation, but I managed to make it through unscathed.

My mother laughed in response.

We walked in the temple where I saw a huge statue of what looked to be Sakura's husband. My mother and I took a closer look.

'Supreme Priest Tomo Eda: the man who brought freedom and expelled evil, the almighty Holy one.'

"What?" I said in confusion. "This man… is the Supreme Priest of this place?"

My mother nodded, "If you want a history lesson, the Supreme Priest title was dropped and renamed Archbishop. This statue is inaccurate – Tomo Eda became the first Archbishop of … well, Tomoeda."

"How can Tomo Eda be an archbishop of this place when he's in Ling Shi?" I asked.

"Simple. Two different areas in time." My mother said nonchalantly. "Right now, we're in a state where time doesn't move, even though it seems like time goes on from what we observe. That's just it, though, we're observing everything… just think of where we are as a place with glass all over. We're simply watching our surroundings through this glass."

"Mother, you're confusing me." I scratched my head. Perhaps this was just a dream after all.

"I'll explain everything later on, my son… I just want you to look at something with me." She grabbed my arm hastily. My mother and I were walking wildly through this temple of Tomoeda – whatever it was, and I had no idea what I was doing with my mother or where I was going. In fact, I had no clue or idea of anything that seemed to happen. I was being dragged by my mother in an unknown place and I had no idea if this was a dream or if it was real. How could I tell what a dream was when I don't dream in the first place?

Our search finally stopped when we found a series of hallways which led us to the back garden part of the temple. There, we found a secluded area in which a lone marble building stood. It was a small building – almost like a prayer house I've seen around in Ling Shi and Tomoeda.

Our promenade to the little building was swift. Within minutes we had arrived there without any disturbance or anything that would seem to cause us harm.

It was funny though, I've never seen my mother in this light. She was always so poised and sophisticated. She didn't seem like the type of mother to do foolish, impulsive things. She wasn't the type of person to just run around and prance and acting like there were no consequences to her actions. It was ironic because my mother was the one who taught me self-control and discipline and learning to control yourself and be safe – but here we were, doing reckless things. I'd imagine if this truly was a dream I wouldn't dare dream of my mother in this light at all. It was just too different from what I was accustomed to and quite frankly these personality traits wouldn't have even crossed my mind, let alone be united with my mother.

There were guards there as well. About 5 were guarding the doors with such intensity. They weren't your typical guards who wore robes and casted magic, no, these were guards who were clad in heavy armor and wielded scary looking weapons.

Like earlier, my mother seemed to enjoy the fact that we weren't seen or acknowledged at all by them at all. She made a mockery of this, which made me more confused about this whole thing. This whole thing was peculiar.

As we went into the building we were greeted by a flight of spiral staircases which my mother and I climbed down as quickly as possible. To be frank, I don't know how one could go down a flight of spiral staircases without moving hastily. So that's where we went, and finally we reached the bottom. I must comment though, for a prayer house or whatever this seemed to be, it was kept in an orderly and clean way. Usually it was the opposite because prayer houses, although built, weren't really used unless you were a devoted person. At least that's what Sakura told me during the time she was with us.

At the bottom of the staircase it was a huge space. The floors were made of marble and the walls were lined with chiseled sculpted rocks that were formed into designs. There were candle holders with candles all lined up in a huge line that led to the other side of the room.

"What the…" I jumped slightly from being startled. My spine tingled as it sent goose bumps all over my body. My hairs went up – of course, a natural reaction when confronted with something unfamiliar or perhaps fearful.

What I was looking at was a glass coffin with a corpse inside it. From far away, I couldn't see. My mother had taken the first brave step of approaching the coffin. I'm sorry, no matter how old am I was or how brave I was supposed to look or act, dead bodies will always send chills down my spine and make me cower in fear.

"Don't be scared." My mother looked at me with concern, "Remember, they can't see us."

I took a few small steps forward which created slight echoes in the space. Even though I knew people couldn't see us, I was still concerned for my life. There were even more people in here than up there! Except the people down here looked to be priests and old people wearing red robes. As I recall, red robes were a mandatory ensemble in the temple.

How could it be, though? Sakura told me not all temples were the same – they had their own different traditions and customs. This drove me to a point of confusion. I still didn't understand what mother was trying to tell me. She was too vague or cryptic sometimes that it didn't make sense.

I gasped for air and gulped as I hurriedly marched over to the glass coffin. My mother was already there. She was looking down at the coffin with such disappointment; if not disdain at the corpse.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"Who else was this temple built for?" She asked me.

"… Tomo Eda?" I tried to piece two and two together. Tomoeda and Tomo Eda. How could that be, though?

"You mean, _Tomo Eda_?" I said. I knew at this point my mother probably had no clue who Tomo Eda was or what I was trying to say. Yet to my surprise, she nodded along.

"Tomo Eda, the man famous for causing a revolution on an island called Ling Shi." She said. "Ling Shi is an elusive island, actually…"

"That's where I am!" I told her.

"I know." She said.

Of course she did, how could she have gotten to me?

"There's something you must know, my son." She put her hands on my shoulders. Suddenly, we were somewhere else – in complete darkness at first. I know we were no longer at that place… a mausoleum, I guess, I should appropriately call it. We were drifting in this black space in what it seemed to be the heavens, because there were a million little specs of light surrounding us. They looked like stars.

"I think I should enlighten you on a matter that will help you on your journey." My mother told me with a sad smile, "Your journey is far from over, my son."

"…What do you mean?"

"Your spiritual training. If you thought you were done, you're honestly mistaken… I know, I've been through your same exact place."

"Then what's going on?"

"I can't do your journey for you, Syaoran." My mother said, "I know though that you need help. She called out to me a long time ago… no, she called out for you."

"Who did?" I asked.

"When I was younger doing my spiritual training here in Tomoeda, a spirit approached me. I guess a soul is more likely to be the term – because this entity was very much alive, but without a physical body I could touch." She said, "She had long flowing auburn locks and green eyes, and she was crying. So I asked her what was wrong… and she told me that from where she was from; everyone was in danger." My mother looked at me with her signature gaze, "Do you know who I'm talking about?"

Going by her description of the girl, yes, I did have a hunch on who it was.

"…Sakura?" I wasn't sure, but I was humouring my mother at this point.

"Yes." She responded. "I had no idea who she was at first, but I got to know her and she had asked me for help. I believe she was just a little girl when she told me she had a vision, a prophecy that her father would die at the hands of someone evil. From there, everything would become disastrous."

"Her father did die… but not in evil hands." I explained, "He died of an illness."

My mother gave me a questioning look, "Are you sure? Sometimes what we see or hear isn't always what's the truth."

"What are you saying…"

"That you should seek the truth." She replied.

"How can I seek the truth when I don't know where to start? Besides, what does this have to do with anything?"

"A big part of your spiritual training is to help a soul. I unfortunately couldn't help her, but you can." She said. "I thought meeting Sakura was just a pure coincidence, but it wasn't. She told me that in her vision she also saw me – no, she saw you, in her dreams. She decided to seek me out herself."

"How could she do that?"

"The same way I'm seeking you out." My mother replied. "I'm very much real, Syaoran… but at the same time I'm a dream. As for where we are, we're neither in a place that is real or false. This is a place where time simply doesn't exist in time. This is a plane where people who have gotten much spiritual strength can come here and get away from everything."

"I don't get it."

"I promised Sakura that I'd get you to her somehow. She envisioned that you would be the one to free her."

"Why me?" I asked. "Why me, out of all the people out there?"

"You're my son." My mother replied, "I promised Sakura that in a few years after our meeting, I would send you to come help her."

"You mean… meeting her wasn't a coincidence?"

"It isn't." She replied, "It would be saying that fate and destiny truly exist. In the end, it's up to us to shape our futures…"

"You're essentially telling me that you sent me to Tomoeda to do your… promise, to Sakura?"

"That's right."

"How come she's never mentioned it to me?" My head was spinning in confusion. All this information at once was too much to handle.

"That, I don't know." She replied. "Sakura came to me when she was merely a child, a scared child who dreamt and had seen scary visions. It's one of the disadvantages of time, unfortunately… sometimes people just seem to forget things, even important details such as that."

"With enough desire and power, one could actually re-write and change the past." My mother said, "In fact… I'm not the one who sent you to Ling Shi at all. It would have to be someone with great magical capabilities to have successfully send you there."

"It's just an island." I rolled my eyes. "How hard is it to get there?"

"It's not just an island." My mother pointed out, "It's a place stuck in time and locked by magic. You see, Ling Shi was an island built by Clow. Then, he made people from his own magic… and everything else just seemed to pop into place."

"He _made_ people? I never heard of that one in school." As I said, Clow was an important figure, but I hadn't realized he was this powerful or important enough to actually be able to create life with his own magic.

"Ling Shi is an island that truly doesn't really exist by natural means. It's all been made up by Clow himself. Same with it's inhabitants – but after Clow's inevitable death, he no longer had control over the beings he created and they had started to form their own goals and sense of selves. I suppose that's how the island was now."

"I-I see… does that mean… people who exist there aren't alive?"

"They're very much alive as you and I are." My mother said. "Including Sakura…"

"What's the point in you telling me this?"

"The man named Tomo Eda is trying to be the next Clow, is what I'm saying." My mother replied. "It seems even though Clow created these people to be good… you can't create an entirely perfect being. God didn't create perfect beings, which is why there's such variety in the world. God created Clow, and Clow wasn't a perfect magician. Clow was powerful indeed, but he was no God… and ultimately this was his downfall." My mother shook her head, "Playing God is never the answer. No one is perfect and no one can successfully have so much power and be able to create nothing into something."

"Sakura was just his first stepping stone into getting what he wanted." My mother said. "In fact, Ling Shi was an island trapped and magically locked in position. It was originally a moving floating island designed by Clow Reed, but Clow decided that he did not want any interference with the life he created so he stopped. He locked his powers in some artefacts and kept them hidden and separated."

"What are the artefacts?" I said.

"One is a staff that represented the sun, one was a bell that carried the power of the moon, one was a staff that had the power of the stars and lastly, one of the most powerful artefacts was the Clow book, which contained magical spells and amplifiers onto the person who already knew the said spells."

"What were they for?"

"Casting magic, of course, but their true nature was to keep the power sealed. Think of them as keys."

"How do you know all this?" I asked.

"An incarnation of Clow told me himself." My mother smiled. "He carries most of Clow's memories, after all."

I tried to keep all this information in my head but it was over saturating to the point that things started to seep out. I tried to keep it all intact though, but it was extremely difficult with each new thing coming at me.

"If those artefacts are all brought together, it would cause such a magical rupture, and it'd cause chaos… because whoever does end up unlocking the magic will receive all of it."

"How could Tomo Eda want to be Clow if he's dead?" I pointed out. "He failed because he's laying in that glass coffin."

"Who said he's dead?" My mother started to laugh, "He's only sleeping. He put himself to sleep – and in fact, since people are so devoted to him now; even renaming Ling Shi after him-"

"Wait, Tomoeda is Ling Shi?"

"You see, apparently in the future, he had gathered 3 artefacts which would be sufficient enough to start the gears again on the island, so to speak. Clow stopped the island from floating and moving because he knew one day, it would collide onto land. He wanted to keep his people he created and 'normal' people separated so his people would 'remain pure'." My mother scoffed at the idea, as did I. Funny how that turned out, didn't it, Clow?

"Also, I have to add… the reason why anyone can't leave is because of the seal. The only way into the island is to break the seal – but if the seal is intact, then the only way in is by Clow letting you in himself."

I tried to process all this. My mother continued onward with her little history lesson.

"So when he gathered the bell, the star staff and the Clow book… the island effectively collided into the land that we know of today, where you were supposed to be training – Tomoeda. He had abandoned all traces of Ling Shi and commanded that any trace of the old history would be destroyed, including the books; unless they were written by an Eda family member or devotee themselves."

"The whole purpose of this is that we're in the future, Syaoran. Sakura called us out from the past and this is why you're here. She's in trouble and quite frankly, everyone is affected, both the past and future." My mother looked down, "Even though the sun staff is still missing, before Tomo Eda had put himself into self-induced slumber, he cast a spell around this land that would suck up spiritual energy and any energy just by being in Tomoeda although it was not publically known, but it was under a guise that Tomoeda was a spiritual hub – partly true, but it's really counter productive. The energy can be gathered and he could awaken once more … and then there's two outcomes. He could either become a powerful sorcerer like Clow was and go back to ruling in tyranny, but he could as well be awakened and look for the sun staff and quench his thirst to be god-like and immortal."

"That's horrible." I replied, "I thought he was horrible enough just by looking at him…"

My mother handed me a book that had a green hardcover and gold-painted pages.

"Read this book. You will get more insight into what I have just told you." She locked me in an embrace, "We're counting on you."

"…Counting on me?"

"Everyone… and Sakura." My mother said. "She's hurting… she really is."

It was hard to believe all this, and it was especially hard to believe that Sakura was hurting after what she said to me. I knew better, but I was still upset, hurt and angry. I could see it in Sakura's eyes she was hurting… but words jabbed more at the heart than expressions, sometimes.

"The rest is up to you." Mother started to fade away slowly, "Until we meet again, my son."

"Wait!" I yelled. But she was gone and I was in complete darkness again. If Tomo Eda was that corpse, where was Sakura? What happened to the course of history?

As if I didn't have a big pile of responsibilities already on my plate, my mother just added 10 times more of that. Not only was I responsible for being a King, but I was also to try and change the course of history? That I was actually in the past, on Ling Shi? How did I end up in Ling Shi, when Clow was supposedly dead? The seal isn't broken because no one could leave – and if what my mother said was correct, I could put two and two together and deduce that the Clow card book was the same one Sakura always carried around her.

Which meant… Sakura never existed in the future, because Tomo Eda was able to free the seal and collide the island with the mainland.

One question remained, though, that really was bothersome.

Who _let_ me in Ling Shi?

I tried to concentrate and think hard. In dreams, what seems like years could be merely a few hours. It seemed like years to be as I was trying to piece the puzzle together and figure out what went with what. Then, my memory hit my face as hard as a brick would hit me.

Eureka!

**xXxXxXxXx**

My moment of realization caused me to wake up.

I _knew_ who Clow was.

An _incarnation_ of Clow. I remember vividly what my mother said as she spoke to me through my dreams. Who else could've been here, both coexistent in the present, or in Sakura's case 'the future' and in my case, 'the past?'

A staff that resembled the sun.

If memory served me correct, Clow Reed was a pale old sorcerer who wore glasses and had dark black hair, almost blue.

Eriol.

Who else could it be? He knew my mother, I'm sure of it. He sent me to the ruins, which I now learned were the remains of Ling Shi in the future, and he exists in this realm too. He oddly also resembles Clow Reed, if I remember the paintings correctly. Heck, he was a strong magician – he was my 'master', after all! Added to that, I'm sure I saw a sun staff.

I knew Eriol knew something I didn't.

As fast as I could, I got out of bed and sprinted to Eriol's room.

"Eriol!" I knocked on his door.

No answer.

I was out cold for at least a few hours. I know I had gone home earlier than Tomoyo and Eriol, but I figured that they'd both be home by now.

Naturally, I headed downstairs. I sat down on the chair in the living area and began to think again. Not about my 'dream', but about Sakura. Even though she had hurt me – I knew she was suffering inside and needed my help. Even my mother had said that she did.

It was amazing, if my mother said was true, Sakura had met my mother when my mother went for a pilgrimage to Tomoeda like I was or am right now. Just thinking about Tomoeda brought the chills all over my body. Remembering Tomo Eda's sleeping body in the glass coffin, and what my mother had told me that Tomoeda is just a place to harness magic and to re-awaken Tomo Eda once more.

What a creep, even now and in the future.

How is it Tomo Eda could exist in the future – or my present time, at least, but he could also coexist in this time? Was it all true? Was I living in the past, or was I living in a place where time didn't seem to actually take it's course at all? It was all too confusing and I couldn't wrap my head around it.

Sakura. Where was she in the present Tomoeda?

Was she the girl I saw at the ruins? Who was she, and where was she?

The more I thought about Sakura the more my head and heart hurt. What was wrong with me? She flat out rejected me at this point—getting married, telling me that she intended to leave because I was making her uncomfortable. Those are laughable words, but even then it hurt. It was laughable because I could remember the exact words and actions that had happened that day. She knew that she fully intended to go and come back, but now she was making this farfetched excuse and lie that she intentionally left. The fact she'd lie was the worst part, because she was not only breaking her own integrity and priesthood oath by lying, but anyone could see she wasn't happy and that she chose to leave and live this life. She chose it – she chose him, she chose them, and she walked away from all of us.

Sakura walked away from me.

I should be angry, but I am just disappointed. If that guy honestly made her happy then why should I stop her? Even if he was a complete psychopath. They could be psychopaths together – why should I care anyway or anymore? She wasn't my woman anyway. Why should I dictate her life? Why should I even be concerned in affairs that didn't concern me and why should I interfere in a married woman's life?

I know my mother said Sakura needed my help, but how could I help someone who didn't want to be helped?

Finally, I heard someone come in through the door.

"We're home!" Tomoyo's voice echoed through the halls.

"Welcome home." I greeted both Eriol and Tomoyo. "I've been waiting for you."

"I tried to find Sakura after she left…" Tomoyo said sadly, "But she was gone, along with the groom. I mean the town is in full party mode but the true celebrators were nowhere to be found."

"…I see." I looked at the ground. What was I supposed to say? Good for them? That they're probably going to screw right about now? What was I supposed to do and react? Should I smile? Sorry, but even I have to be selfish sometimes – even if it were in my thoughts. I couldn't bring myself to be happy at the whole situation, especially after seeing Sakura's emotional state.

"I'm so sorry, Syaoran." Eriol said in sympathy. "Both Tomoyo and I were shocked that there was a celebration to begin with."

"We knew it was a wedding because of the whole grand celebration, we knew it was an important celebration, but we didn't know it was _Sakura_ and _Tomo_ getting married." Tomoyo said with such bitterness in her voice. "How could she? She threw all her freedom away to marry that … that pig!"

"She made it clear to me that she didn't want to see me." I was hurting, but I had to swallow my emotions and keep my composure. "She basically flat out told me she hated me."

"She doesn't mean that!" Tomoyo refutted. "Sakura can't hate people, she's not capable… I mean, she hated the man she just married…"

I explained to Tomoyo what happened and what Sakura had said earlier. Both Eriol and Tomoyo were in disarray at what I had said. To be honest, so was I. I didn't know that Sakura was capable of making such frigid statements and would be capable of making such a hateful face as she did with me earlier. I mean, I should be worried about other things like interpreting my dream or trying to make sense of everything, but all I could come up with was Sakura's sad face and hateful face. Both two faces used in one day towards me. Even she was able to produce a false smile towards her husband.

"That's not Sakura." Tomoyo said. "I mean, it is… but that's not how she is… 3 months can't drastically change a person!"

True, but I think I've undergone a slight metamorphosis when Sakura had lived with us in the past. I was no longer my grouchy, arrogant self – ok, I was still a tad bit arrogant but I wasn't a grump anymore. I'm introverted and just enjoy my silence, no longer did I give awful looks to people for no reason or carry myself with a high degree of self-perceived prestige. If I learned one thing about being a commoner here on Ling Shi was I had become a lot more humble.

Eriol put his hand on his chin while thinking deeply. He couldn't even process what I just said. Even I still can't process it and I don't accept it to be true, either.

"If I didn't know better, Sakura wouldn't have married him out of her own free will." Tomoyo broke the silence. "I know her and knew her for most of our lives – she hated him and despised him. If you only knew how strongly she felt about running away from this marriage you'd know that she wouldn't do this willingly. If there was a spell that could cause people to fall in love, that's understandable, but there isn't a spell that could bewitch people and make them fall in love." She looked over to her fiancé for approval.

Eriol nodded, "Yes. There is no known spell as far as I know that could alter such a powerful thing known as emotions. No spell could cause people to be suddenly sad, happy or angry … and especially fall in love out of nowhere."

"Then if that's the case…" Tomoyo said, "She must be doing it for some reason… I mean, blackmail!"

"Don't you just think that people can change their minds about people?" I reasoned. "Maybe… even though she looked unhappy, maybe she… I don't know exactly…" I drifted off and tried to find my words. It was just too much to think about or even feel. I still felt like I was being constantly punched in the stomach, just visualizing Sakura in those red robes, hand-in-hand with that Tomo Eda guy, and then kissing him. He took her first kiss – something I had wanted to do, too.

"…Maybe… she actually did fall in love with him." I choked.

"Don't be stupid." Tomoyo said angrily, "I _know_ her."

I sighed.

"I'm going to find one way or another to talk to Sakura." Tomoyo said, "I'm not happy until I find out what's the actual root of the matter…" Tears welled up in the pregnant woman's eyes. She had such a look of fierceness and intensity that it was apparent to everyone present in the room. It was scary, even.

"I can't be happy until I find out. I can't be happy until she's happy." Tomoyo cried, clutching onto Eriol for support.

"We'll get to the bottom of this." Eriol reassured, "I don't know how… but we will get to the bottom of it."

"I think we should just stop interfering in other people's businesses." I said.

Tomoyo's eyes widened as she heard my words. Bitterly, she yelled, "How could you even say that? You _love _her. You're going to give up just like that? Even after what you've seen and heard from Sakura? Even though she's acting like she's happy or that she doesn't want to see you, she's still hurting inside!"

I couldn't reply because I didn't know what to say. I was just simply torn, heartbroken, angry and confused. This wasn't a good mélange of emotions at all. I wanted to get to the bottom of everything and get a proper answer, but at the same time Sakura told me to never speak to her again. Another part of me also is trying to rationalize that perhaps she is truly happy, and that if I tried to interfere it'd just make her unhappy and hate her more. I just wanted the option that I knew Sakura was truly happy and that would be the option I'd pursue.

"So, you're not going to say anything, huh?" Tomoyo slapped me in the face.

I didn't even react. Her slap was nothing compared to what I felt right now. I looked at Tomoyo with lost, confused eyes and then proceeded to stare back at the ground again.

"Tomoyo, relax." Eriol commanded. "You can't force Syaoran what to do. He's a big boy, he can do what he wants."

"He's so stupid!" Tomoyo yelled at Eriol as if I weren't even there or if she didn't slap me, "I know he's hurting and he doesn't even want to do anything! We all know that Tomo Eda must've blackmailed or done something to Sakura, and we're all standing here like a bunch of idiots."

Eriol stayed silent. Tomoyo shoved him away as she ran up the stairs to her bedroom. Even from down here, you could hear the door violently slam shut.

Eriol and I were alone now. We looked at each other, horrified.

"Don't mess with a pregnant woman." I joked.

"Is this a funny situation?" Eriol said. "I fail to see the humour in everything."

It was usually Eriol who'd make the time-inappropriate jokes. I looked at him funny and sighed.

"I don't know what to do, Eriol." I said. "I really don't."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Eriol went to the living room and gestured towards the chairs. "We can talk, Tomoyo is probably going to pass out anyway."

"A-alright." I stammered.

I told Eriol everything that was on my mind. About Sakura, about my dreams… everything. Then finally I asked him.

"…Did you ever meet my mother?" I said quietly. I mean, after describing my dreams and mannerisms of my mother and such it should've rung a bell. I remember him telling me that he had. I wanted to make sure, though.

"…Yes." He said sternly. "I have met your mother."

"I see."

Eriol was never the one to press on issues. So he sat there, patiently waiting for whatever I had to ask him next.

How was I supposed to ask him if he was the incarnation of Clow? How was I even supposed to ask him anything? I don't need him laughing at me – but somehow I felt strongly the need to ask him if he _was_ the incarnation of Clow or if he _is_. If he proved to be the incarnation of Clow, I'd ask even further questions.

I didn't feel like asking him right now.

"Nevermind." I grumbled. "I'm tired from today, I don't feel like speaking further." I stood up and walked away from him abruptly.

I wanted to be alone.

"…Ok." Eriol nodded and smiled. "You know where to find me if you need to talk."

I headed upstairs to my room for a long-awaited rest. I needed to clear my mind from everything; from the dream I just had, the thoughts of my mother, Sakura, and this whole mystery surrounding the future and this island.

As I opened the door to my room I became quickly startled as I remembered one thing from my dream that was physically there: the book my mother had given me in my 'dream'. I quickly ran inside and closed the door, then proceeded to the end table where the book was.

There it was, green hard cover and gold pages. I flipped through the book to take a glimpse of it. From what I figured it was, it was a history book of some sort. As I was flipping through the pages, a bookmark fell out of the book and landed on my bed. I picked it up and took a look at it carefully.

"…What…" I gasped. "…What is this doing here?" I raised the bookmark up in the air for a closer observation.

Sure enough, it was a bookmark from Heung Gong, because it had our seal printed on it. It was the bookmarks my mom usually used when she read long-winded novels.

I took the bookmark and held it up to my nose to smell it. I sat here in shock as I identified the familiar scent of my mother's perfume on it.

"…This… how?" I said out loud.

How could my mother's bookmark be in this book – and how did this book come to be here anyways?

It was just a dream.

Or was it?

* * *

**Authors Note:**

I liked this chapter because it gave a lot more background to the events and to the whole situation here. For those confused, Ling Shi means "other world" and it's interpreted as such, it is slightly in a different world! At least it's definitely different than Syaoran's world. He is from the "present" or in Sakura's case, "the future". Sakura's place is I guess "the past". Tomoeda used to be Ling Shi but I think you can deduce how that came to be. The dream state Sakura and Syaoran frequently meet Yelan in is the "other world" where time doesn't flow and they can watch events unfold and take some objects, but they cannot speak to people or anything like that. So if you were confused and needed more clarification let me know, I'll try to edit the story and make it as clear as possible. I thought it was straight forward without giving out too much information on what's to come later.

Also for you grammar nitpickers I don't spell "realise" and "artefacts" wrong, it's the UK way of spelling it! Anyway. Enjoy this chapter. I also enabled anonymous comments (which were disabled for some reason) so comment either positive or negative and criticism or just questions!

There's lots of drama (duh it's a drama fanfic) but there is an end to everything! Including drama. :3 Thanks for reading and enjoy this chapter!


	18. Chapter 18: Two Butterflies in The Net

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter XVIII: Two Butterflies in the Net**

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I'm miserable here in this stupid place.

It's been about 2 weeks since I've been married to Tomo. I dread every single moment of this married life.

Marriage is important in the temple; but also flawed. You see, people can choose to be polygamists or not. My father was always a monogamist while others in the temple preferred to have multiple wives. It was hypocritical because they had wanted a law on the island that only one spouse was legal. In a way the polygamists were finding a convenient loophole in the whole law – you could be legally married to one person, the one where you'd have an actual grand wedding and have a the Supreme Priest marry you; but you could also be 'spiritually joined' by a normal priest.

Sometimes I question my faith in the temple at this point. Why should I live in a place that gives no happiness or satisfaction, and the rules and morals themselves aren't even followed by the higher-ups! It only seems my family abides by those rules and everyone else is just choosing which rules and beliefs to believe, rather than follow every single one of them.

I find it both a blessing and a curse to be married to Tomo in this case. It's a curse to be this unhappy; to live with fear and worry that if I don't please my new husband that he'd threaten to kill anyone I loved or cared about. If he saw me talk to outsiders he'd immediately punish me by hitting me, but I was never to tell my brother. He'd hit me in places that were covered the temple clothing so no one would notice the evidence—the bruises that were so implicit on my skin.

It was a blessing because Tomo was a man driven by pure impulse and desire. Although a priest, he was not moral at all by any means. He had two wives – and fortunately for me, I've known them since childhood. I met them during my acolyte years when I wasn't a priestess yet. We graduated and grew up together, but however when I continued my studies to try and become a high priestess, I've never heard from them again because they had gotten married. The nature of the 'illegitimate wives' is so secretive, so barely anyone knows from the outside or even inside the temple about the actual identity of these 'mistresses' I should call them.

I was surprised and happy when it was familiar faces that would be my sister-wives. Naoko Yanagisawa was his first 'wife', but he never actually married her officially. His second wife was Rika Sasaki. I was his third wife, of course, but the "first" one in everyone else's eyes, as mine was the only official 'legal' marriage.

During my two weeks being Tomo's newest wife I got to know the ladies. We would be forced to eat and spend time with him, but we were allowed to keep our respective quarters. So we did spend a lot of time together, but it doesn't mean I wasn't lonely or miserable.

You'd think they'd be bitter about me marrying him, but they both knew I was just a pawn in his scheme to overthrow my brother and my family. In fact, they knew it quite well and often sympathized with me when I was crying. Rika sympathized the most because she didn't want to be in this marriage as much as I did; but what Tomo wanted, he'd get.

Rika was taken for her beauty – she had soft features on her face and was a talented priestess in her own right. She was also a teacher at the temple which made her prominent with the children. Yet I knew in Tomo's pig-like mind, he wanted her simply out of lust and desire. He wanted to deflower her and the only way he could was by spiritual union – without anyone playing the violation card on him. Yet we all knew that he had violated us prior to marriage in some way or another.

Naoko was Tomo's first and only true love. She wasn't keen on the idea of sharing him but she knew she couldn't get what she wanted. She was prone to getting jealous; but now I think she knew that we had no choice when Tomo was being forceful with any of us that she couldn't have him to herself. She knew we didn't want him, she knew this. Which is why she wasn't too bitter about the whole thing.

Even though I am his official wife, he treated me and Rika like dirt. Naoko was his princess, which is fine, because I don't want him. I never loved him and never will. I will never submit to him in any fashion, and that includes giving myself to him.

During my 2 weeks living with Tomo he and I never consummated our marriage. I never slept with him and would never dream of doing so. He'd touch me, but I never let him go past that point because he knew I would do something about it which would cause a huge scandal for him. He never threatened me, funnily enough, with sexual matters. It goes to prove that he never loved me or wanted me in the first place. He didn't want me, but the power that my name carried. He often called me an ugly little girl because I'd always look dreary around him and I apparently wasn't curvy enough for him. Fair enough, I'm thin and I pretty much have a flat chest, but still. I'm glad that my body reminds him of a young girls', that means if he had some shred of decency left he wouldn't dream of touching a little girl, and in turn, he would be put off by it.

Since I openly refused to sleep with Tomo, I'd get the nickname "Tomo Eda's Maiden", because I was a virgin. I've always kept the belief I'd save it for someone I loved, and not someone I'd marry. Deep inside I knew – since Tomo was making advances at me and since there was small talk of me possibly getting engaged to him when I was younger, that an arranged marriage was a possibility. So I set my goals high and aimed for someone I loved, instead of someone I was just married to.

It was funny because I remembered that green book I had read prior to my marriage to Tomo, and it said that I had the nickname of being Tomo's Maiden. Was it a coincidence or does the book actually tell my future, laid out for me?

The only thing that left me feeling unsettled was that other passage in the book; where people would be executed because of my behalf. It was absurd … but believable.

If so, I suppose I'm due to be burnt alive and be hated by people, which I didn't mind because I'd rather be dead at this point. Was it selfish? Absolutely. Yet being married to him, I find, was the most selfless thing I could've done.

I love Touya too much to let him go.

I also love my friends too much to see them suffer because of me. If being apart from me and being miserable for their sake was my duty, then so be it. I missed them all; I missed Tomoyo and her ability to make me feel better, I missed Eriol and his jokes and hospitality, and I missed Syaoran.

When I look back at what I said on my wedding day, do I regret it? Absolutely. It hurt me to see his face and to see him actually cry for the first time. My heart was in knots and my stomach was twisting and turning. I wanted to cry too, and give him a hug, but I couldn't. I wanted to comfort him and tell him everything that Tomo had done to me, and perhaps Syaoran could've saved me.

But I couldn't. The reality is I'm married to Tomo and if I don't abide by his rules then people I love will be endangered too. I had no one but my sister-wives to talk about the abuse. Being beaten up by your husband was a common thing if your husband was Tomo Eda. No one bat an eyelash to that. Everyone in the temple thinks that Tomo is so perfect and a perfect example of what should be holy. In fact, I overheard some of the old people in the temple talking about how Tomo could bring regulation and stability onto the island instead of my brother. I also heard of them talk about me and how much of a delinquent I was, and that _I didn't even deserve _to be married to someone as GREAT as Tomo Eda!

If only they knew what he did to us, would they say that? We were bound to silence. We couldn't tell on him because no one would believe us. Then he'd just continue to hurt us.

I was Tomo's least favourite wife because I was so resilient and I refused to go by his policies. He knows even though he blackmailed me into marrying him, that he's treading on delicate ice. He knows if he doesn't suck up to me or make the right impression or truly upset me then he won't get what he wants – the right to be the head of the island.

Even then, I would rather much die then let him lead this place.

If the island is anything like I saw in my dreams and read in the book, I'd rather endure copious amounts of suffering on my behalf than let other people suffer.

Sacrificing my happiness for the benefit of other people was my duty as a priestess; to put yourself before others. My happiness was to be free and to be with the people I held dear to me. By cutting off contact with Tomoyo, Eriol and Syaoran, not only does it protect them but they're better off without all my drama.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Sakura, my dearest…" Tomo entered my room as he usually did. He slithered his way to my bed and gave me a huge kiss. I didn't kiss him back, I usually didn't, because our agreement was to put a show in front of everyone to show that we were in love and everything was okay and there was no trouble in paradise.

That's all the temple was, though. It looked like it was a utopia of peace and holiness but in the end it's all just a sickening façade with people like Tomo living in the castle.

"What do you want?" I said angrily.

I hated this marriage. I absolutely hated it. I wish I could just disappear from the face of the planet, but then Touya would be stuck with him because now Tomo is technically family, having been married to me.

"I just wanted to see my _favourite_ wife." He jeered.

I rolled my eyes at him and turned away. Tomo put his arms around my waist and started to kiss the back of my neck. I couldn't do anything but sit there in horror. I was his wife, after all. I was just his prop, his toy, his pawn. Tears were welling up in my eyes from each stroke he took to touch my body. I wanted this to go away. I didn't want to consummate the marriage, and I certainly won't do it now.

"Please stop." I whispered.

He could smell the saltiness in the air as I let the teardrops fall. He loved it, in fact, he touched me in a more aggressive manner.

"Don't you like that?" He murmured sadistically.

"No." I squeaked. "I really don't."

He stopped and slapped me on the arm hard, leaving a mark. I felt the sting whip against my skin. I winced and let out a yelp. Even though I was so used to it, the pain still felt like it would be the first time he'd hit me. The worst part was I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't fight back or use magic or tell Touya. I had to sit here and tolerate it. I wanted to escape so badly – but if I did, Touya would be dead. Just like in my dream … and then he'd try to hunt me down, because that's how Tomo was. If you scorn him or do wrong to him, he will hunt you down until you submit to him and his torture.

"That's not how you talk to your husband." He stood and looked at me coldly.

I tried to contain my tears. The sadness inside me was just getting to be too overbearing.

"I just wanted to tell you that you have a special visitor." He smirked. "I guess you won't be able to see her now."

"Who?" I looked up at him with my tear stained face. I looked horrible, I could see it in the mirror. Everything about me was deteriorating, and I could do nothing about it but watch myself slowly decay into nothing.

"Come with me." He said.

I obeyed him. So I stood, even though my arm was in pain and I just wanted to lay down or at least cast a heal spell, but I couldn't. I trudged along to follow my husband to wherever he was trying to take me, or in this case, who.

He led me to the room where I was first captured before. He opened the door slowly, then gave me the most evil and most satisfying look ever.

I stood there in shock and that's where the tears started to fall. I ran into the room and Tomo closed the door from behind me, locking me in the room temporarily. I ran to the visitor, who turned out to be Tomoyo. It was hard to see in the darkness of the room but from the way her pale skin glowed in the darkness and the way those blue eyes shone, I knew it was her.

"Tomoyo!" I screamed as I threw my arms around her.

She looked over to me sadly with a tear-stained face as well. She was gagged and bound, so I undid the gag that they put in her mouth. That's when she started to let out her sobs.

"Sakura!" She cried. "…You're still alive."

"What are you doing here?" I said. I was so happy to see someone from the outside world, but I was also sad and incredibly shocked. How was it that Tomoyo was here? I can't believe it – they actually captured her.

"They captured me." She replied. My hunches were correct. I completely sympathized with her. I couldn't contain my emotions anymore as I sobbed and sobbed into her dress. Every ounce of sadness was being let out from the emotional container I kept way too long. I had to tolerate things, I had to contain my feelings, I had to suck it up. I had to ever since I got captured.

Now Tomoyo was captured too. Not only that, but once you're captured your chances of being let out were slim. Tomoyo was a fugitive like me – in a sense, anyway. We did nothing wrong except escape from our destinies. We tried to shape our own lives but here we were, back at square one. If I couldn't change this part of my life – or rather, if I couldn't have evaded this part of my life, then how could I possibly change the future like Yelan said in my dreams? How could I evade all those events?

I felt so bad for Tomoyo. It wasn't so bad for me compared to her. At least with me, I was captured and I wasn't engaged to someone and pregnant. Tomoyo was already showing in her pregnancy, only slightly, but due to the nature of our clothes – especially in the temple, you couldn't tell if someone had a fat belly or was pregnant.

"Apparently someone at the wedding spotted you talking to me." Tomoyo sniffled, "It's not your fault. I know you're going to blame yourself for everything as you always do, but it wasn't." She cried.

Even though she told me not to feel bad, I felt like I was the worst person ever. I caused too much trouble for everyone. For Tomoyo, and in turn, it causes trouble for Eriol too because now his fiancée was in this temple with little hope of escaping – she could try, but they'll capture her again, and the worst part was even though my brother had supposedly the highest power, that stupid senate could veto whatever decision he wanted to do. The senate was made up of old, stuck up people like Tomo Eda, who wanted nothing but power. Disgusting.

"…How did they capture you, though?" I asked, "I mean, as long as you stayed in Eriol's manor and as long as you were with him, it would be impossible to get caught."

Tomoyo replied in a meek voice, "I wanted to talk to you myself. I didn't care what would happen to me or the baby. I've never seen you so miserable in your life."

I gasped and that's when I felt even more like dirt. I try to get away from people yet I still hurt them. It was like an endless cycle of bad luck. I looked at Tomoyo's face with an apologetic face filled with regret.

"Tomoyo…" I uttered. I couldn't find words, I just couldn't. I hated that Tomoyo was so absolutely foolish and selfless.

"What will Eriol think?" I demanded, "What will Syaoran think?"

"Eriol already knew." She looked away from me, "It didn't stop me from marching over to the temple. They followed me, and lo and behold guess who found me first?" Tomoyo said bitterly, "Your husband."

"…Tomo Eda?" I asked. Tomoyo didn't nod, but she looked at me with a look of acknowledgement. Her eyes dropped down and I felt like I was sinking more and more, as if I couldn't be any lower.

Was I partly happy Tomoyo was here? My selfish self says yes, but overall I was devastated she was here. Absolutely crushed and mortified. I was so tempted to tamper with time. There's stopping time, and there's also going against the beliefs of God's will. Apparently, God chose every moment in our lives and it happens for a reason. Tampering with history and manipulating time was going against God's plan, and therefore a sin. I wanted to so bad, to just revert everything somehow. Maybe… I shouldn't have run away in the first place.

"There were too many of them…" Tomoyo continued, "Eriol forgot his staff at home, and without that it's really difficult to cast such strong magic spells, you know that. Eriol was beaten badly. He walked away in defeat – Haku threatened Eriol saying he'd kill me if Eriol went any closer." Tomoyo swallowed some air and sighed, "I felt at the moment that they were actually going to kill me when the blade touched my throat. I felt it, I felt the sharpness and how easily they could've killed me there. I knew I had to keep going, even if I had to go through that… because I knew that I'd be here, talking to you, Sakura."

"Tomoyo, you're so stupid!" My cries were even louder now. I couldn't comprehend that she would do all of this just to be with me. This was the very thing I was trying to avoid as well, and now the consequences of my actions stared at me in the face.

"I love you so much, Sakura." Tomoyo replied at my insult. "I don't care where I am as long as I know you're alright."

"What about your baby, your _fiancé_?" I asked her. "What about them?"

"I'll have to deal with it." She looked sadly. "I have to have hope that Eriol and Syaoran will come and save us."

"They released Eriol after I pleaded and begged and I said I would comply with their requests." Tomoyo clutched onto her dress tightly out of anxiety, "They did. I had to watch as he was being forced out of the temple grounds and as I was being dragged into this place." Tomoyo laughed lightly, "Hell probably looks like this, if hell ever existed. It sure hasn't changed. The only fact that changed is that uncle is gone now."

I sat there in silence with Tomoyo. She was so beat up emotionally, and she looked the part too. Her perfectly tousled locks were in a mess. Her face was dirty and her eyes were puffed up and swollen with tears. She was a physical photograph of someone who had been torn and was struggling.

The thing is, Tomoyo had a choice whether or not she was struggling. Sure, she escaped like I had, but no one gave a damn except me and my family. They just listed her as dead. Now that she's here, I'm afraid that she's going to have to go through the same thing I did: marry someone she didn't love. Tomoyo's ring was no longer on her finger, I noticed, but I didn't want to ask her. We were both so vulnerable and so depressed. I was depressed because she didn't have to choose this. She didn't have to do this because of me.

"…Syaoran misses you." Tomoyo said finally, looking over at me sadly. "When we saw you at your wedding, you broke his heart." A hint of enmity apparent in her voice.

"I had no choice, Tomoyo." I whispered, weary that someone might hear about Syaoran or my opinion of the wedding.

Then my eyes widened, "…Wait, what are you talking about?"

"You're so dense Sakura." Tomoyo said in annoyance. "I mean, it's a loveable quality because it makes you so innocent and naïve, but I can't believe you're the only person who hasn't seen it!"

"Seen what?" I pleaded. "Why would Syaoran be heartbroken?" I didn't want to hear it, and at this point I was in denial. I knew it in my heart that he liked me – and that's why I hurt him intentionally.

I closed my eyes waiting for the dreaded revelation.

Tomoyo delivered, "Sakura. He loved you." She paused, "No, he _loves_ you."

Like a thousand pieces of glass shattering, my heart was feeling the same impact. I was in denial because if I knew he loved me, that I would long for him and love him back and added to that, it made my decision to stay here so much harder.

I looked over to Tomoyo with widened as afterwards as if a bullet just shot through my heart. There it was, out in the open and official. Tomoyo would never lie to me, especially about matters of the heart. I sat there in disbelief with my mouth slightly opened and my eyes were glued to the floor. I was sitting down on the dirty floor sitting in a fetal position.

"Why did you tell him you hated him?" Tomoyo asked.

"I didn't tell him I hated him!" I defended myself. "I told him to never speak to me or think about me again."

"You know that is just going to do the opposite." Tomoyo scolded me. "What would you do if someone – what if Syaoran told you that? I'm sure those awful thoughts would always be in your mind."

I realized it now that telling him off did more harm than good. I bit my bottom lip and wiped the tears away, but more kept flowing out.

Syaoran loved me.

It kept repeating over and over in my head.

It explained a lot of things – why he acted so weird. I knew it, I just knew he liked me or at least felt something for me, but I was too stupid and too much in denial to actually acknowledge it as fact. Why was it so hard to believe? Especially now. It was hard to believe now that someone would love me after all the horrible things I put them through. It was hard for me to believe someone could still possibly love me after I just had a grandeur wedding in front of the whole island.

I clutched onto my chest and continued to sob. I don't know how many more tears I could cry, but it just flowed out like a river. I wanted it to stop and to end. I felt so much pain come at me at once in this instance, because I never realized how much pain I actually put Syaoran through. I thought – instead of trying to make him feel better in the long run, I actually made him upset.

Tomoyo rubbed more salt into my emotional wounds. She told me how he cried and refused to eat anything back in the manor. It was surprising because I didn't know Syaoran could express those types of emotions. Granted, I did see him cry when I hurt him, but it was understandable.

Yet to continue to agonize over me was just an unbearable thought. I committed an ultimate sin as a priestess and a wife: I was thinking about another man and how much I wanted to be with him and second, I hurt Syaoran. I was supposed to do good things, not bad, and now the guilt came to haunt me.

"Then he realized… that maybe you were actually serious and happy in this joke of a marriage." Tomoyo finished. "That's why he's not going after you, Sakura. I wanted to punch him because I knew he wanted to be with you and save you – but he thought that maybe you were actually happy."

"Why are you telling me this?" I said angrily. "Everything's over now, Tomoyo. I'm married and I'm probably going to die miserable here. Why do you have to tell me that Syaoran loves me?"

"I want you to have faith in yourself." Tomoyo said. "Isn't that what you're supposed to teach others?"

"I have faith I can live through this." I replied.

"What about having faith that you can _change_ all this and be happy?"

"Being a priestess isn't about giving into your desires." I stated. It was a harsh reality, but it was true. "It's about being able to serve your duty. You can't be moral if you give into your desires. You're only moral if you do your duty."

"What if you don't want to be moral?" Tomoyo asked. "Why do you have to be moral? Why do you have to do anything? Why can't you, just for once, act on your own being as a person instead of a… priestess!"

"Because that'd make me selfish." I replied almost inhumanly, as if I were a mechanical machine of some sort. Devoid of emotion. "Being selfish goes against my duty."

"Hello ladies, time is up." I heard the door open from behind us. From the lighting, he looked menacing – like the devil himself. My husband.

"Where are you taking her?"

"To see your brother, of course… and to see the senate, to see what her punishment will be." He smiled after he said punishment. A look of satisfaction and pleasure; I knew my husband was a sadistic animal, but to what extent, I don't know. He surprises me every day with his cruelty.

"Sakura!" Tomoyo yelled as the temple guards were taking her away. I was holding her hand until by force, we no longer joined hands. She was taken away from me just like that.

I sat on the stone cold floor and looked up at the person I hated most. I gave him a dirty look, one of anger and as well as I wanted to emphasize that I detested every moment I spent having to breathe alongside him.

"Don't look at me like that, you little bitch." He said, kicking me in the stomach. I winced and tried to prevent the tears from falling. I looked up at him with the same animosity.

"Look, if you want your cousin to be at least safe, you have to cooperate with me." He said.

"You're a monster." I hissed. "I hate you."

Tomo simply responded by laughing. He knew I hated him. He knew I hated this marriage. He knew that he had power over me and he knew he could hurt me as much as I wanted and I couldn't do anything about it.

Tomo grabbed my wrist forcefully to make my stand up, then he escorted me to my room.

He shoved me into my bedroom and entered with me as well. He locked the door from behind him so I couldn't escape. He was going to hurt me, I knew it, and I couldn't fight back because every time he went near me my body would freeze in fear. I gulped as I saw him approach me, and before you know it, he shoved me violently against the wall so there was a slight thud. He pinned me against the wall and his icy blue eyes stared into my tearful ones. He was sensing for fear, and he had it. He got off from being horrible and cruel. To compensate for us not having any sort of intimacy, he'd torture me emotionally and physically.

"Sakura, let's cut to the chase." He whispered into my face. I closed my eyes as his breath permeated into my nose and stung my eyes.

"I hate you." I mumbled.

"I know, I know." He smirked. "Whether you love me or not, it doesn't matter to me either way."

He cupped my chin and spoke, "I need you to give me access to the treasury room."

The treasury room was only reserved for the Supreme Priests' family, it was where our ancient treasures and even artefacts from Clow's time had been stored for many generations. No one could just come in there – and since I am a descendant and also a Kinomoto, I have the power to open the chambers; not only magical power is needed but a special spell that needed to be said. It was strictly forbidden for outsiders, no matter how important they may be, to go into there. I've never been in there and I never planned to be.

"No." I replied firmly, despite the fact I was filled with fear. I needed to be diligent and strong when it came to Tomo.

"Oh, why not?" He asked coarsely. He put his hand around my neck and lightly applied pressure.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I felt my airways constrict. If I were going to die like this, so be it.

Then, a knock on the door.

"Sakura?" My brothers voice was resonating from the other side. Thank the Gods! My brother was here.

Tomo immediately let go of my neck and he went to the door and opened it, greeting Touya as if he had never wronged me. I gasped for some air and looked over to my brother.

"Sakura…" He looked over to my neck which had still been red from Tomo's grip. He looked over to Tomo and glared.

"I know she's your wife, but she's my sister. I really hope you aren't hurting her." He growled.

"No, your holiness, I would never do that." Tomo bowed. "Sakura and I were just having a chat, that's all."

"I need to speak with her alone." Touya demanded. Tomo looked at my brother with a cold look, then he gave one final glance to me, a look of warning; a threat. He walked out of my room and Touya closed the door shut, locking it.

"Did he hurt you?" Touya approached me and went to go look at my neck.

"No." I lied. I needed to lie. Even if I was breaking an oath. I never wanted to hurt Touya, and telling Touya the truth would result in chaos. I fought back the tears that were dying to come out.

Touya could sense my lies, but he no longer persisted on the matter. "Tomoyo is here." He said angrily. "I thought she was dead… or at least had successfully fled this awful place."

"I was with Tomoyo the whole time I had escaped, remember?" I reminded him. Touya seemed to forget things, understandable since he's going through the whole complicated processes of being the successor to my father and that he had to deal with Tomo and the Eda family.

"I tend to forget." Touya said. "I'm glad she's alive… but…"

"What is it?"

"Well we've deliberated with the senate. Since she is our family and father pretty much adopted her after aunt Sonomi had committed suicide, Tomoyo will not be executed or excommunicated."

"I kind of wish she were excommunicated from the temple, in fact I wish that were my punishment." I replied sadly.

"You know that it'd be like giving her the golden ticket to freedom. They want nothing more to show that this place is best, even though it's not." Touya replied. "I share the same sentiments as you in this place. I can't rule this place with an iron fist; as long as that temple senate is there I am going to get vetoed if I ever wanted to instill change."

I nodded. "Where is Tomoyo?"

"She'll be in her room." Touya replied. "People will be keeping a close eye on both of you for now on. You two are seen as the troublemakers and the tainted … you two, apparently according to the senate, that you both had singlehandedly tainted the utopian image of this temple."

"There's nothing utopian about this place." I grumbled. "You and I both know."

Touya sighed and hugged me. "I'm really sorry about all this. I wish I could do something."

"You both know we can't."

"I just wanted to let you know if you needed to tell me what's on your mind… even about the poor-excuse of a marriage you have with Tomo Eda, let me know, okay?" Touya said to me with such kind eyes. "I'm your older brother before I am a Supreme Priest… or future Supreme Priest."

I wanted to tell him all the abuse that had been going on in my life, right down to the death threats he made about me and Touya. I couldn't, though. I couldn't risk it. I just nodded to tell Touya that yes, I will tell you. Even though I had no intention to tell him. I know my brother the best and he will not keep his mouth shut and he will confront Tomo Eda, it'd lead to a disaster.

Touya is a powerful magician but he isn't as powerful as Tomo Eda.

Touya left the room eventually and left me alone in the room. I kept the doors locked so Tomo couldn't get in.

**xXxXxXxXx**

There was a passageway from my room to Tomoyo's room, just like Yukito and my brother had a passageway that linked the rooms together. No one knew about these passageways except our family. I krept to my closet space and searched for the wedge that I was supposed to push to get into the passageways. After much searching, I found it, and I was flipped from one end to another, eventually getting to the passageway. It was dark, so I casted my light spell to illuminate the area.

It had been a while since I've ever been here, but I still knew by heart how to get to Tomoyo's room.

"Found it!" I whispered to myself. I touched the wedge that led to Tomoyo's room, and like last time, I flipped from this room to hers.

I heard Tomoyo's muffled sobs. I crawled slowly out of Tomoyo's wardrobe, which was still completely intact despite the fact she had been gone for years.

"Tomoyo?" I said quietly. Luckily, no one was in the room except her.

Tomoyo stopped sobbing and looked over to me. "What are you doing here?" She hiccupped while asking.

"Don't you remember the passageways?" I grinned. "I needed to see you."

Tomoyo smiled sadly, "You always know how to cheer me up."

"I'll do anything to cheer you up." I stood up and walked to Tomoyo's bed, where Tomoyo had been laying down on her stomach and crying into her pillow.

"As long as you're here, Sakura, I'm already cheered up." Then she gave me a mischievous smile, "You could dress up in one of the dresses I made for you."

Seeing Tomoyo smile made me happy, so I happily agreed and tried to make best of this grave situation.

Tomoyo and I searched through her closet and she found a nice white dress she made of simple fabric – nothing special, but it was draped beautifully and had a lot of subtle details. Also, white was forbidden except for the higher-ups, so this was like our secret rebellion.

As I was slipping on the dress, Tomoyo saw my bruises all over my body. She gasped as she lightly touched them slowly, and you could see the fury in Tomoyo's once gentle eyes.

"He did this to you?" She said disgustedly.

I nodded sadly. "Yeah."

"How could you let him do this to you?" Tomoyo cried out. She was caressing my skin, as if trying to comfort me.

"I'm fine." I assured her.

"Being physically abused by your _husband_ is NOT fine!" Tomoyo yelled. "How come you haven't told Touya?"

"I can't." I said.

"Why not?"

We both sat down on Tomoyo's bed again and she looked at me questioningly. I knew with Tomoyo I couldn't hide anything. I guess I needed someone to tell my woes to. So I did. I told her about the abuse and how he had other wives. She knew them as well, after all, we did all train together.

"Rika and Naoko?" Tomoyo said in disdain. "That's horrible!"

"Yeah." I said. "Except I think Naoko actually loves Tomo for some reason I haven't really looked into."

"I.. I see…" Tomoyo said. "…Sakura."

"Hm?"

"I'm getting married…"

"I know."

"No, I'm getting married to Yamato Eda." She sobbed.

Yamato Eda was the youngest of the Eda brothers. There used to be four of them, but one of them passed away when we were young; apparently he had drowned and that's why there was a rule that no one could go to the beaches or else you'd suffer the same fate as him. The one who passed away, I believe, his name was Ryou Eda.

Yamato I didn't know much about him. He was about mine and Tomoyo's age and a few years younger than Tomo. I suppose Yamato was a bit more introverted and quiet, as opposed to his two older brothers, Haku and Tomo. I suppose while Tomo and Haku was too busy being a general nuisance to everyone, no one really noticed Yamato.

"…At least it's not Haku." I joked. I knew it was a bad time to joke, but I meant it. At least it wasn't Haku, like it was originally intended.

"Eriol…" Tomoyo whispered. Her heart was breaking. How was she to marry another man when she was pregnant with Eriol's baby? It was disgusting.

"Why do you have to marry him?"

"Because that's my punishment for leaving." Tomoyo replied.

"What ever happened to the sanctity of marriage?" I said in total disgust. "It's being thrown around callously and carelessly. It's absolutely maddening."

"When's the wedding?"

"In a month." She replied sadly.

I hugged Tomoyo tightly. "Tomoyo…"

"We'll get through this somehow." She told me. "Remember, you got to have faith… isn't that what you tell everyone?"

I nodded. I wish there was a way to get out of this one. I thought of Syaoran and Eriol, and how right now, they were probably worrying about us. The thoughts of Syaoran raced through my mind sending me through a small panic as I realized that he loved me; and he still did.

Did I love him, too?

* * *

**Authors Note:**

Oh noes! More drama! Well one thing I'm gonna tell you some stuff is gonna go down now. Poor Tomoyo and Sakura!

Anyway, don't get mad. THIS WILL ALL END SOON. Including my story. I think in like under 10 chapters I will have the story done. I am actually in the process of writing my new story, which is a lot more modern and less ~fantasy~ like than this one. So I guess if you like my stories you should check that soon, I will be publishing it very soon with the first chapter. The name of it is called "Innocent Until Proven Guilty" and you'll see for yourself in what it's about, I'm just going to tell you guys it's absolutely nothing like this fanfic except that it has our loveable characters on it. So check it out when I publish it! :)

There's going to be ass kicking soon, promise! I hate Tomo Eda too. :( Abusive relationships are no fun at all.

I accidentally put "tomorrow" for Tomoyo's passage but it was actually a month, I forgot to edit it. Anyway. Yes. The evil will be done soon.

If you like, leave a review. Comments, anything, as usual. Thanks for reading thus far, I appreciate it!


	19. Chapter 19: The Promise

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter XIX: The Promise**

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It was too quiet in the house; in fact, too quiet. I had just woken up from a nap, something I did a lot these days. I must note, however that I haven't been getting any dreams since the dream I had about my mother. Since Sakura was gone, the house had been quiet.

However, it was unusually quiet. I would usually feel a presence or aura when people were around, but the only aura I could sense was my own and probably Nakuru's.

I headed downstairs to see what was going on. The house was wrapped in this uneasy feeling and a deafening silence. I looked around the house to find no one there. The only time Eriol and Tomoyo had left was when we had to chase Tomoyo down – then eventually watch Sakura get married.

The first bit of noise I heard was the doorknob turning and the door eventually opening. To my surprise, it was Eriol. Unusual, but I had only deduced that Eriol would be gone. I hated it when I was correct.

"Eriol?" I stood and walked to the front door to greet him.

"Syaoran…" Eriol looked at me dismally. He was panting and disheveled.

I looked over behind him, "Where's Tomoyo?"

Eriol was panting from exhaustion. His hair was messed up and his clothes were ripped. It looked rough, that's for sure. Concerned, I asked, "What the heck happened?"

"… Tomoyo… they… they took her." Eriol said, coughing. He had tears forming in his eyes now. Perhaps out of anger or disappointment. Either way, this caused me to tense up and scream, "What?"

"The … temple people… took her." Eriol punched the wall, "Damn it, damn it!"

"Damn!" I said angrily. "Not Tomoyo too."

"I tried to fight them, but my mind was too clouded to even focus. All I could think of was Tomoyo and I was too distracted – and I tried to hold them off, but there was too many of them." Eriol said in anger. "I don't deserve to be her husband, or even have this title of a Magical Master."

"Don't say that." I consoled him. "There were too many people…" I punched the wall, "Damn it!"

"It's not your fault, Syaoran." Eriol reassured me.

"They've crossed the line." I growled.

"I couldn't protect her. I didn't have my staff with me. I was outnumbered."

"Screw this, Eriol, we have to get her back! She was essentially kidnapped!"

"Tomoyo wanted to talk to Sakura herself… and I couldn't stop her." Eriol's voice was shaking. "I didn't have time to get my staff and run after Tomoyo. Then, they caught her. I tried to fight as best as I could… but they took her away."

I was silent. I didn't know really what Eriol was going through. I didn't have a pregnant fiancée who got kidnapped. I did know how it was like to helplessly see the person you loved be taken away from you just like that, though.

"Let's go back." I told Eriol. "We can't just stay here!"

I thought of Tomoyo, but I also thought of Sakura. I wanted to rescue both of them. In fact, Sakura needed to be saved even though she told me never to think or speak about her again. It was too hard. Besides, my mother said _she needed me_. That thought, that dream , it resonated through my head over and over, trying to eliminate any doubts I had in myself and in her. I don't act impulsively but from what I learned from Sakura, it was time to stop hiding under my comfort zone.

"Syaoran." Eriol looked at me seriously. "Even with my magic, how could I possibly fight hundreds of armed guards?"

"We can." I said confidently. "When have you been such a pessimist? It's your finacee, for heavens sakes! She's carrying your child… and you're just going to sit here as she is imprisoned in that place? What if she's married off to another man?"

Eriol's eyes flashed when I mentioned the possibility of a marriage to another man. He clenched his fists.

"Well?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Syaoran… do you really think we stand a chance?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to try." I told him." You're my master, why are you acting like such a coward anyway?"

He gave me a lighthearted smile, "You're awfully optimistic."

"What are you waiting for, then?" I wanted to run upstairs and grab my swords and equipment. I wanted to finally put my magic to good use.

"Not now." Eriol said. "You're not ready yet."

"What do you mean?" I growled.

"We need to work harder, both you and I." Eriol said. "If we want to save Tomoyo… and Sakura."

"You mean we're actually going to go through with this?" Part of me was bluffing but I also had a strong desire as well to save them both. It sucked seeing Eriol unhappy… and it hurt me the most to see Sakura unhappy.

"Like you said. We're going to try." Eriol patted my back. "We'll work at it until everything is absolutely perfect."

"What? You're not going to go NOW?" I said. "What kind of a fiancé are you?"

"A smart one." Eriol replied, "I know Tomoyo, she can fend for herself in the meantime… I plan to get her back. She knows I wouldn't abandon her. We need to build up our strength, not just magically, but in numbers too."

"In numbers?" I asked.

"It's about time the citizens of this island know about the truth what goes on behind that marble castle – or should I say, temple." Eriol's eyes flashed. "People here, unfortunately, are so misinformed and oblivious to what's happening. They think everything is all perfect, but it's all just some big lie. Just like Sakura's marriage."

"A lie?" I asked.

"Come on, don't tell me you didn't know that Sakura is obviously unhappy." Eriol said. I knew that fact, but the fact Sakura's marriage is a lie? Part of me was screaming in happiness, but another was just in disbelief. Sakura told me the one thing she wouldn't do was lie. Why now?

"Maybe she loves him." I told Eriol. "I mean, that doesn't stop me from wanting to rescue her, but maybe she does."

"You're an idiot." Eriol said for the first time. Eriol was usually polite and did not go down the level of name-calling, but he just did it right in front of me, with me being his first victim.

Eriol sighed, "I can't believe you're as oblivious as Sakura! Of course she's unhappy you idiot. You think she'd actually willingly marry someone like that guy? Come on, Syaoran."

I knew it inside of me, but to actually hear it confirmed by someone else fueled my desire to rescue Sakura from that prison, as she called it.

"Alright, let's train." I shook Eriol's hand.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Since that handshake, both Eriol and I probably got 4 hours of sleep every night. We forced our bodies beyond exhaustion by training not only physically but magically and spiritually too, and I began to make more use of my sword. I've never seen Eriol so dedicated in his life; usually his way of training and teaching was lazy style, but as of now the Eriol I knew had the powers that no doubt, made him worthy to be my teacher.

Slowly but surely, we were also making citizens aware of the corruption going on in the temple. Some believed it, but it was because in the first place, they did not like the temple or the whole politics behind it in the first place. It was an ancient institution, one person said, that should be burnt down and start anew. The island was becoming increasingly stagnant, another said, ever since the late Supreme Priest had died.

Of course not everything was perfect. There were still people who were loyal devotees to the temple, and some loyal to the Eda family as well. I knew almost nothing about the Eda family or the misdoings of the temple, but the dream I had with mother couldn't have been a coincidence. It had to mean something; it had to mean that yes, this Tomo Eda guy meant trouble.

Anyway. It was slowly but surely we were causing a slight political rift and uproar within the island. We had to get them heated up, we had to get them started.

To them, it wasn't about just Sakura Kinomoto and her unhappy marriage – I mean, it was both a significant and insignificant thing in everyone's everyday life here. The only significance it meant to these people was maybe that was one day, she may rule the island or her husband would. Her husband being Tomo Eda, a man even known to the locals as a corrupt, callous person.

In fact, in my dream, that was the reality.

I couldn't let that happen. _We_ couldn't let that happen. Even though I wasn't a local, I still lived here, even if it is for a brief amount of time; it was also my home. To see this place get destroyed, whether it was an isolated place or not, was unacceptable because _real people_, whether fabricated by magic or natural causes, were inhabitants of this place. I was to be King of my own Kingdom someday, and I knew that people had to be happy. They had to live in a happy, unified place, where they're informed about all issues – not a big divide between the 'temple people' and the 'normal people'. Ling Shi should be unified place amongst the people, no matter what class they were or what rank.

We were taking steps in the right direction. As long as it got people talking, it didn't matter if it caused trouble within the temple.

We gathered many people every day in the town square; little rallies for people who actually cared. Some who originally didn't care warmed up to the idea that there needed to be change. That there needed to be unity within the people – none of this separatist bull crap.

I knew that it was going to release a can of worms once the word gets out to the temple and to Tomo Eda and even Sakura. I was determined to make a change, no matter how slow it took.

There were 2 and a half weeks out of our month of training left and we've made considerable progress. People are talking, I am training, Eriol is training, and if we have enough people to side with us, we could surely attack in numbers.

It was radical to see this change in people in such a short amount of time, merely only in 1 week. There needed to be unification, a sense of harmony and community here. People wanted change and I will help them get it. I wanted the citizens here to live happily, not to live in fear of the temple or to live completely ignorant on their futures.

In fact, I knew the future of this place. It was a dark, sad future, if what my mother said was real. A place completely opposite to this; almost like a dictatorship, even! I came from Tomoeda in the first place, before I came here, and it was the sign of a dictatorship when a town that was not even founded by the person or family in the first place decides to change the name after himself. I didn't want this for the people, and I had to let it be known. If they wanted change, they had to act upon it too.

The power to change the future and the fate of everyone rests in these peoples hands. If one wants change, you can't just sit there and expect for it to happen. The greatest innovations in life came from revolutions, came from protesting, came from refusing things.

I don't believe in a predetermined fate, but rather the notion of I shape my own destiny.

That was the difference between Sakura and I. She believed in a bigger power that dictated our every day lives and I believed that we control our own lives. One can be spiritual and still remain their sense of individuality and self. I don't need to rely on a God to give me my future, _I will make my own._

It was not only for Ling Shi's fate that I was doing this, but for both Tomoyo and Sakura.

**xXxXxXx**

"I can't believe how many people are training with us now." Eriol said in awe after our training session.

"Yeah." I said. "I can't believe we even _got_ people to listen to us."

"The temple's been quiet so they haven't been sending temple guards out to the rest of the island, which is why people aren't so scared to talk about the state of things in Ling Shi." Eriol said, "With no one to prosecute them for talking ill of the whole system or protesting, people have been more likely to speak their minds."

"This island's been living in fear too long." I told him, "A place that is supposedly spiritual certainly doesn't seem like it to me."

"These people needed a push in the right direction." Eriol laughed, "But at this stage, it's not a push we're trying to do, but a huge shove to let the temple know that they've gone too far. Ever since Sakura's capture, the island is back to it's neglected state."

Eriol and I decided to take a look around town, not just the prominent area of the island, but the rural ones where people were forbidden to go to. People say it's isolated, but oh boy, is it the opposite. It's not that there weren't any people around, it's just people were hiding. The purpose of that visit was to find a training spot that wasn't in Eriol's mansion, but a new terrain and a new environment so I could adapt to any place.

The state of Ling Shi was in total disarray. The people who lived in the town itself had no big problems, but still problems. It's universal really; there's a food shortage on the island, everything's becoming ugly and there just hasn't been a sense of unity. If it was that bad in the town, you should see the outside.

There were people who were hiding in caves and in makeshift shelters who were poor; something you wouldn't expect to see in Ling Shi. To someone like me, who hasn't been educated on this island and who is an outsider; you don't really know what is really the whole picture, because people tend to look at the little details and not look at the unit as a whole being. The people who were poor, who were the most lowest in this island's society were the ones gravely suffering - I normally don't interfere in affairs that don't concern me, but enough was enough. It wasn't just looking at the horrible conditions, but hearing and seeing the tears of other people as well brought a spark in my heart and head. Did Sakura know about this? Did anybody know?

It's been a week now since gathering the people up and spreading the word about changing the state of Ling Shi and making people aware of the temple. It was sacrilege to some people, but to others it was a whole new perspective; it was the beginning of the end of this temple nonsense. Even if Sakura believed in it – she hated it to the core. If she didn't want to put an end to it, we will. We'll attack from the outside and get her – and maybe she'll grow a spine and realize the danger and corruption unfolding. That the people of this island aren't even happy to begin with.

In the beginning of our recruitment and spreading the word, only a few dozen had even paid attention to us. Not taken us seriously, but just simply stopping by to listen to my nonsensical yelling. Of course, Eriol was much more refined and sophisticated than I was, and he was able to win the people over with his arguments and logic, and his level-headedness. I knew Sakura told me to control my emotions, but I couldn't bottle it up anymore.

It went from a few dozen to a few hundred who decided to join our brigade. They actually wanted to attack the temple. The people had their own reasons to attack the foundation and idea of the temple, but whatever reasons they had, we all had one goal: to take the temple down. Yes, I am aware it'll cause destruction and perhaps chaos within the temple and even the island, but enough was enough.

I regret not telling Sakura how I felt and now I'm trying to drop that regret. Now, I don't ever want to regret not saving her when I had the chance. I don't ever want to regret not helping these people. I especially don't want to regret not taking action despite knowing the future outcomes. The dreams I had were visions, I was convinced – sometimes some things did defy all logic and reason. I knew that I had to defy my own personal code and just go by my feelings and intuition, and I believed my dream was real and it was trying to tell me something.

Needless to say, our training sessions became a lot more crowded. I didn't know them all, but they were strong people. In fact, I didn't know them on a name basis either, only by face. Eriol was much more of the leader in this than I was, and that's where I really saw him shine in terms of dealing with people. He had a kind, trusting demeanor that was evident to these misled people of the island. A good quality of a leader – so leader he was of this group. It was his idea in the first place to round up people; I just wanted to go and do a full-on attack, even if it was just by myself.

I was very grateful though for the numbers – I know numbers aren't everything, but these people already are capable of magic already, being inhabitants of Ling Shi and all, magic should already flow through their blood. If it was true, they were creations of Clow, and Clow was a powerful magician. Surely the creations of Clow were magical beings as well. It was evident from the lack of effort that these people had put in their magic, but were still able to cast and attack so cohesively.

I was impressed. For a few weeks, it was impressive to even gather up this many people; but being able to work with them and train with these people was just amazing. We will show that temple that we could fight numbers with numbers, and that there _was_ strength in numbers.

Somehow, I wish I could relay this message to Sakura and Tomoyo. That there were people who cared and that we were going to save them. I wanted Sakura and Tomoyo to attack from the inside too, somehow. It'd be better if the beast – the temple, were bleeding from the inside. Then to give a final blow to the outside would be even better.

This was history in the making. It was history for me, as my first battle ever. It was a learning experience that I'm proud to be a part of. It was a history in the making for Ling Shi, whose people took a backseat while the other people in the temple lived a life of luxury and complete isolation from the rest of the island. It was history in the making because this island will finally see the face of a revolution – and Eriol and I were the leaders! Failure wasn't an option. Even if everyone else falls, I'm going to persevere. I've never been keen on failure and I especially am not keen of the idea now.

**xXxXxXxXx**

As I was about to go to bed, I couldn't go to bed. No matter how hard I tried to sleep or how long I kept my eyes closed, I just couldn't sleep. Every little noise was bothering me, every beam of light radiating from the outside bothered me, while it normally didn't.

The anticipation inside me made me restless and anxious.

I took out one of my spell scrolls and casted the fire spell, making a makeshift fire so I could see. There weren't any candles in my room because normally I wouldn't use them; as I had no trouble sleeping or I had no need to use a candle for any purpose.

Today though, was a different circumstance.

I looked on the end table and saw the green book with gold tinted pages. The same book I remember, that my mother had given me in my dream.

"If it's just a dream, why is it here?" I mumbled to myself. I crawled across the bed to get to the end table and swooped the book into my arms. It was as if the book was calling me to read it. I felt instantly drawn to the book even though I hadn't touched it or even acknowledged it's existence in weeks.

I opened the book where my mother's bookmark had been placed in and I saw the words, "Sakura Kinomoto" in bold letters on the top of the page.

I had to keep reading.

'_Sakura Kinomoto, daughter of Late Supreme Priest Fujitaka Kinomoto. Also known as Tomoeda's Maiden, or the Maiden of Tomoeda, as she was famously known as Tomo Eda's first official wife. However, it was Tomo Eda's relationship with Kinomoto that provided change within Ling Shi. Soon after Touya Kinomoto's death, Tomo Eda assumed full duties as the Supreme Priest of Ling Shi. The last priest of Ling Shi, and the first priest of Tomoeda._

_When Kinomoto heard about the changes taking place on Ling Shi she strongly protested. Her protests and rebellion caused an uproar in the island and in the temple, and then it was unanimously decided that her rebellion could no longer be tolerated. Her punishment was public execution by burning on a stake, as she was seen to most as a troublesome pest and a witch; a Kinomoto who had been stopping the needed progress on the island.'_

I put the book down then opened it again, and it was as if my eyes were deceiving me. The words and sentences had completely changed in the book; but the message was still the same. I wanted to make sure it wasn't some delusion or dream I was having, or the fact I was lacking sleep. I kept opening and closing the book, flipping to the page about Sakura.

Sure enough, the sentence structure and words had been rearranged in different order or different words were used, but the overall message was that Sakura was a witch, Tomoeda was the saviour of Ling Shi and that she had been executed to burning.

What on Earth was this book?

I looked at the bookmark again; the same bookmark with the Heung Gong insignia and the light scent of my mothers perfume that had been spritzed onto the bookmark. If this book was a book from my mother, was she trying to tell me something else? That _this_ would be Sakura's fate?

I put the book down and laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Please mother, please give me some clarification." I mumbled, almost as if I were praying to whatever it was that I hoped my mother would come and talk to me. I was pleading, I was desperate, I was tired. Even after all this momentum building up to the moment where we'd strike the temple, I wanted reassurance. I wanted to know if I was going in the right direction. I just needed someone to talk to – and it wasn't as if I were doubting my actions, but I needed someone to just ask the questions I needed to ask to anyone who was willing to listen.

**xXxXxXx**

Eventually, my eyes closed and I was falling asleep. Although my body was asleep and I knew I was asleep, my mind was wide awake. I knew it because I hadn't woken up yet – I knew very well when I fell asleep and then gain some consciousness, the only consciousness I'd gain is when I'd wake up. I knew though I wasn't awake, but I was full conscious. I was fully conscious in this dream world.

"Syaoran, it's nice to see you again." I saw my mother's silhouette through the shroud of mist.

"Mother…" I said, extending my arms towards her.

Her arms were locked against my body in an embrace, then she looked down at me.

"You're working very hard at something, aren't you?" She smiled at me proudly, stroking my hair and making it even messier.

"I suppose you can say that." I said.

"Why don't we walk a bit, then? And you can tell me."

We were walking in a space where there was no clear visible light or ending, it seemed to be an endless tunnel of darkness and mist. There were little balls of light floating around here and there, but there was no sign of the moon, sun and stars.

I told my mother about Tomoyo being kidnapped, or taken away, at least. I told her about how I finally realized that there needed something to be done.

"It's not the time to doubt yourself." She said as she tucked her hair behind her ears. "It's not the time to doubt your heart, and to doubt Sakura either."

"I know, and I should've… but I'm not used to following _my heart_." I said.

"A good King must be rational, but also relies on their intuition. Who knows, perhaps one day they're right – and if they ever doubted that intuition, it'd be the biggest regret of their lives." My mother said.

"I really wish I knew how Sakura was feeling." I said. "I mean, whatever she's feeling won't affect the outcome now either way. Eriol and I said it was the final straw when they took Tomoyo…" I said, "Then we realized, it's not just the acts of Sakura and Tomoyo being taken away was sickening, but the fact that there's people on this island, who are treated as if they were invisible, are neglected and left to die. I was so blind to it because I was so interested in getting out of this place; and I was so blind to it because I kept focusing on Sakura and Tomoyo and everything that I had failed to notice the little things and the little problems to me are actually bigger ones to other people."

"A good quality to have is keen observation." Mother smiled at me, "Empathy. Not many leaders have empathy towards the people."

"I'm so proud of you." She said.

"…Thank you." I smiled sadly, "There's one thing that bothers me above all this; it's selfish, but it's been gnawing at my conscience and heart for ages."

"That is?"

"Through all this, I've never really known how Sakura felt. How she truly felt about everything. Not about her duties as a priestess, but how she felt as a person. How does she feel about everything? Does she even know? Is she truly happy?" I clenched my fists, "Even if I infiltrate the temple, there's still a chance that maybe we'll fail… or even if we somehow succeed, will I be able to ask Sakura all these things? Will she even leave?"

My mother didn't say anything, but instead she seemed to vanish into thin air. Seeing her before me, it was as if the wind, wherever it came from, had blown her away like dust. She disappeared right before my eyes, before I could say anything further.

I was trapped in this misty darkness; but I wasn't panicked. I was determined to get out of here. It was strange; usually if my mother disappeared from my dream, like last time, my dream was over and I'd wake up.

This wasn't the case.

It seemed like a long time before I could find my way out of here. When I saw light peeking through the mist, I knew I had found my exit. I ran as fast as I could to the light source.

I made my way out. Even if this was a dream, the scent of fresh air and being outside felt so real.

I looked behind me, and the tunnel and darkness had disappeared. There was no remnants of a tunnel or cave, but it was just a forest with long grass—no, not just any forest.

It was the Tomoeda ruins.

"How did I…" I said, walking around the familiar place. Yes, it was the Tomoeda ruins. It was the same buildings with the same empty aura and feeling radiating the area. The cobblestone, the mossy statues, they were all neatly put in place just as I remembered them, even if I had only had a brief encounter with these objects and scenery around me.

I heard footsteps coming from one direction. It was an obvious tapping noise, as if someone were wearing heavy shoes and they were walking across the cobblestone path. So I followed the noise, hoping I could find anyone in this dream.

From the corner of my eye, I saw something white and floaty. Then, like déjà-vu, a strong floral scent had filled the air. It wasn't overwhelming this time, but it wasn't subtle either. It was strongly moderate.

As I scurried along the long grass, trying to find my way through this place, I finally found an enclosure around the trees. There were no visible signs of statues or buildings, but a space with no long grass; which I found unusual because the only way to have no long grass here is if someone cut it.

Then, my body froze an tensed up. I found the source – I found her.

"Sakura?" I said in shock. It was her, it had to be. It looked just like her.

She was the Tomoeda Maiden.

I knew it wouldn't do any good to talk to her because I was in the dream state, and my mother told me I couldn't communicate with the people within the dream, unless they had sought out to talk to you in this alternate place – a dream dimension, even. Still, it didn't hurt to try.

To my surprise, she looked up and around, scanning the area to find me.

"Where are you?" She replied.

I stepped forward to reveal myself. As I stepped forward, Sakura's eyes widened. She was sitting down on the short grass, but immediately stood up to look at me. How was it I could talk to her here? In my dream?

"…Syaoran…" She said with saddened eyes, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm dreaming." I said. I must be dreaming if I could talk to Sakura right here and then. I took more steps forward slowly, before I reached out for her as I extended my hand.

"…Me too." She said. "I was with someone I knew, who I usually met in my dreams, but she vanished."

"…Really?" I said, looking at her with confusion. "…That's what happened to me too."

"I prayed for you to come, you know." Sakura said with a weak expression. Her voice was also weak, and no longer filled with happiness as I remembered her to be.

She grasped at my hands and enclosed them into hers. She was warm; as if she were truly real.

"You did?" I asked in disbelief.

"I can't take it in the temple anymore." She said with a pleading expression. "It's only in my dreams that I can truly be free to say what I want without any repercussions."

"I-is this real?" I squeezed her hand.

"It's weird, isn't it?" Sakura smiled, "It is real. You holding my hand is real. Yet… this is a dream as well."

"How did you know to talk to me through a dream?"

"Not many people can do it." She said, "Only people with such a high magical ability could; and let alone knowing the spell… which not many people know how to do, either. It's complicated… but I did it."

"How?"

"That armband on your arm." She pointed with her eyes.

I looked over to the armband she gave me.

"As long as you have something from me, or as long as you're thinking of me too, I can always find you."

"Why now?" I said.

"I wanted to leave you be." She let go of my hands. She looked over to me apologetically, "I'm really sorry."

"I'm so confused, Sakura. You told me you hated me – or didn't want to see me again, but now you're talking to me… and telling me you _want_ to talk to me, or prayed for it, even?"

"We don't have lots of time here." Sakura replied, "But to answer your question, I really needed to speak to someone. I thought I could handle being alone in the temple – I mean, as long as it was only me suffering the consequences and the punishments, it wouldn't matter to me, but…"

"But?"

"I think you know Tomoyo's been captured." Sakura said with serious eyes and a stern voice, "Tomoyo's going to get married in less than two weeks."

"What?" I asked angrily, "But she's Eriol's fiancée!"

"Do you think they care about that?" Sakura said bitterly, "They don't care about women at the temple. The only one they ever treated decently was my mother, but that was because my father was still alive… that, and my brother… but it's only a matter of time until I might not even have my brother." Her green eyes were sparkling through the presence of her tears. She tried to hold her feelings back, but the tears just fell.

"He's sick." Sakura said. "Out of the blue, my brother fell ill. I don't know how long left… he was completely healthy, but now... if he's gone, that means my husband will take over. Who knows what's gonna happen at this point… but I am so powerless to stop it."

"You're never powerless to stop anything." I told her.

"Maybe it's destiny. In God's hands." Sakura said melancholically. I could see the sincerity, but at the same time, it's all she could turn to. All her life she's been told that it was God's duty and responsibility – but it wasn't. It was our responsibility to change things; not God's, and not anyone else, but our future was shaped by our own two hands.

"Destiny doesn't exist." I told her. "God doesn't make your destiny, _you_ do." I pointed to her. "Come on, Sakura, I know you. You taught me how to perfect my magic – and you're just going to give up?"

"What can I do here? Everyone in the temple hates me. The only ones who don't is Tomoyo, Yukito and my brother."

I took her into my arms and hugged her. I embraced her with everything I had while she cried into my chest. I looked down into her green eyes and wiped her tears away.

"I'm going to try the best I can to help you and Tomoyo… and to liberate everyone there."

"I swear to it." I put my hand on my chest.

"Everything's going to be okay, Sakura." I whispered into her ear.

She looked up at me, "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."

"It's my pleasure. You're not trouble at all, alright? You keep beating yourself up. What happened to being confident in yourself?" I told her.

"There's not much to be confident for when your husband hates you." She replied. She lowered the sleeve of her flowy white dress and along her arm were a line of bruises. I looked at them in horror, and even recoiled at the sight of them – not because it was repulsive – the bruises themselves; no, it was because of the horrible act that someone could hurt her.

"I can't believe he did that to you." My blood started to boil. That monster! How could he hurt his own wife? How could he hurt Sakura? Sakura's done nothing wrong to anyone for no reason. I mean Sakura hurt me, but I realize that she was trying to protect us from her monster of a husband. It disgusted me how Sakura had to deal with this alone.

"Why do you let him do that?" I said, infuriated.

"What choice do I have, he's my husband." She replied melancholically.

"You have a choice." I told her. "You always have a choice."

"I can't do it alone." Sakura cried, "My brother, he's dying! He's sick! If I defy him now… he's going to…" She started to tremble.

"…Is this why you've put up with him for this long?" I was being blinded by rage as my voice rose. I was trying to be calm and sensitive, but each and every word spoken by Sakura made me more and more angry. This Tomo Eda – he's a monster! Not only in my time, but in this era as well.

She didn't say anything, but her face said everything else instead. She was unhappy, and stuck. There was a political barrier between us. A barrier I intended and break.

"He will pay."

"Violence leads to nothing." Sakura replied.

"Sometimes your pacifism isn't the best solution. Some people deserve to die." I told her. "No one should ever hit a lady. Under any circumstances."

"I deserved it for running away."

"You did it for your freedom, isn't that commendable, Sakura? Why are you letting this man suck the very essence of your life? The essence that makes you, you. Now you're just a depressed, beaten up woman. You have to fight this."

"How can I fight someone who threatens to kill people I love? I value their lives more than my own." She said through her tears, "I saw it in a vision. He's going to kill my brother, then me, so he can usurp the title of the Supreme Priest."

"You're going to let that happen?"

"I can't do anything if he dangles peoples lives above my head." Sakura replied.

"Don't you see it, Sakura? Whether or not you're gonna obey him, he'll kill your brother anyways! That's how those types of people are. He'll swim through and create rivers of blood to get to his goal. He's a monster."

Sakura didn't respond, but instead, her eyes widened at my words.

"I…"

"You're scared." I said. "Stop being scared." I put my hands on her shoulders and stared right into her face, then shifting my gaze into her eyes.

"A while ago, Eriol and I saw a bunch of people outside the town – in the forests, opposite from where you were hiding out; but I saw them. Families. Suffering. They hated the temple and everything it stood for. They were poor… and just… it was horrible, you would've cried seeing it."

Sakura looked up at me in surprise, "What?"

"There's much more going on around Ling Shi than you think." I told her.

She stood there silently in disbelief. Of course it would be a shock, and I don't blame her for not knowing. Not many people knew about the real issues, the poverty, and the neglect people had to face. People looked at Ling Shi only at a superficial level – and Sakura, she couldn't help it. She was raised in a temple which was supposed to represent the people, but in turn, it's just a symbol of corruption and hypocrisy. A xenophobic, isolated place.

"…I know you're not lying." She buried her face into my chest again, crying, "You'd never lie to me."

I pulled her in closer to me.

"Sakura. You'll see, soon, you'll be out. Will you wait for us?"

She looked up at me with her tear stained face, pausing, then slowly nodding.

"Don't be scared anymore, okay?" I whispered softly.

"I'll wait for you." She said.

"Just a little while longer, but promise me… you won't tell a soul." I stared at her. I wanted a verbal approval.

"…Yes." She said, taking my hand. She unraveled the ribbons from her hair and wrapped it around my hand, then closed it.

"You have my most precious item." She told me. "This ribbon was a gift from Tomoyo, and I have kept it ever since… I promise you and I give you my word."

"You'll get your ribbon back." I clutched it in my hands.

I closed my eyes and kept her locked in my embrace again. Our bodies, even though not physically meeting, our souls were in this vast place of dreams, and the warmth between us seemed so real; so physical.

"I… love you." I said softly.

I opened my eyes and realized that Sakura was no longer there. Her body had vanished into thin air. Then, before you know it, I felt like I was being tossed down a singularity, a black hole, an endless pit. Even so, I kept the ribbon close to me. It was a token of our promise together.

She will get it back.

**xXxXxXx**

When I opened my eyes and saw light peeking through the curtains, I knew I had woken up.

The birds were chirping outside and there was a nice mélange of colours in the sky, indicating a sun rise.

I turned around and noticed my fist was clenched. As I relaxed my hand, out fell a pink ribbon, it fell onto the floor.

I picked it up and held it right in front of my eyes.

"It's real." I whispered to myself. I held it close to my chest and stared outside the window. Ominously, through the distance, you could see the temple seeping through the greenery of the trees.

Soon, Sakura. We'll get you out of there.

I swear on my life.

* * *

**Authors Note:**

Sakura and Syaoran meet at the dream world! Things are coming up! We still don't see Sakura's point of view too much, but at least a lot of things are out in the open now. Dream Sakura is much more open because she doesn't have her husband threatening to kill her and her family.

I skipped some days because it'd be boring and tedious, again, to write so slowly to describe only brief events. So if you find that weird, sorry, I wanted to keep the flow of the story... well, flowing. I hope I explained stuff well, if I didn't, please tell me and I will try to explain and even change to re-evaluate what I've written. :)

Any questions, comments, concerns, leave me a line!

By the way I started a new story, check it out if you have time!

Cheers.


	20. Chapter 20: Different Viewpoints

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter XX: Different Viewpoints**

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Being at the temple wasn't so bad the first few weeks Tomoyo was here. It made me feel less alone. My sister wives, although we were on amicable terms, I did not have such a close relationship to them as I did with Tomoyo. Needless to say, we spent many times isolating ourselves in our own respective bedrooms. Thanks to the tunnel ways, that is.

I've been consoling Tomoyo's engagement; feeling really bad that she had been engaged to Tomo's younger brother, Yamato. I could never really imagine the amount of heartache it must feel to be engaged to the one you loved then have it ripped from you, then being shoved into another engagement with someone else's you didn't love.

Tomoyo, unlike me, was always an opportunist. She held no grudges against people and tried to find the good in them… with the exception of Tomo, we all know he's a horrible person. It didn't surprise me that Tomoyo and Yamato actually started talking to each other, like friends.

Actually, since Tomoyo was talking to him, I had the opportunity to talk to him as well. I knew he wasn't as bad as his brother, it was evident in childhood, but it was until now I noticed how different siblings could be.

I know that Tomoyo had plans to escape somehow because she didn't have really much to lose. If she had escaped again successfully and had kept herself hidden, the only risk she'd have if she was caught was death. I didn't believe in any form of execution, and neither did my family; which brought lots of criticism and even hatred towards us. I just don't understand the concept on how man can kill man. Surely, there was another way of resolving conflicts.

**xXxXxXxXx**

I remember when Yamato approached Tomoyo after the proposal.

Actually, he didn't outwardly propose at all. The old temple people (officially called the Temple Monks I guess) just arranged the marriage. The monks and the senate did not like my father – well, the majority of them. They wanted someone like Tomo, an extremist, to lead the island.

Yamato was so shy, unlike Tomo, when he proposed to me. Tomoyo didn't cry like I did, because she barely displayed any of her emotions outside of her circle of friends. She was emotionally resilient than I was, and that was a trait I admired.

Throughout the banquet I noticed, the two talked, and even though I wasn't beside them, I could see Tomoyo smiling and even laughing. So was Yamato. It wasn't that I thought Tomoyo The first time I spoke to him was after the banquet, when he approached me. Everyone was drinking wine and having a good time, and my husband was nowhere to be found so I was alone with Tomoyo.

When Tomoyo left to go to the restroom, Yamato approached me.

"Hi." He waved to me.

Taken by surprise, I jumped a bit. I didn't expect him to talk to me, but to be polite, I greeted him back.

"Hello." I replied.

"I find these engagement parties silly." Yamato said.

"Yeah, me too." I wasn't that close to him, I've only seen him up close since we were children so this was the first time I got to actually take a good look at him. Yamato and Tomo were complete opposites. Yamato had messy honey coloured hair and green eyes. Actually, come to think about it, he looked a lot like me if I were a guy. How peculiar.

"I find the whole idea of marrying Tomoyo silly." He said through all the noise. The music was distracting, but Yamato's voice was loud enough for me to hear, but for others to disregard.

I looked at him in surprise, "Why not? Tomoyo is a beautiful woman. You should be happy you're marrying her." I didn't really want them to get married but I couldn't let someone insult Tomoyo's character or Tomoyo in general.

"I know she's beautiful." He laughed, "But both of us don't want to be in this marriage."

What weirded me out the most is that I barely knew him and he was already telling me things he shouldn't be telling people that weren't close to him; to top it all off, he was my brother-in-law!

"I don't want to marry a woman that doesn't love me." He said, "I don't want to be like my brothers."

"What do you mean?" I replied.

"Come on. I can see the way Tomo treats you, Kinomoto." Yamato said, "He doesn't care about you at all. I can tell since the beginning you share the same sentiments."

I giggled, "Is it that obvious?"

"Yeah." He laughed, "Well. I guess to me it's obvious. You can just tell when people don't like each other."

"Can't you annul the marriage?" I said foolishly. I didn't know too much about the marriage process except men had more rights and say than women did.

"If only." He said. "Everything seems so sudden. One day I'm a single man, and the next I'm forced to marry someone who doesn't even like me."

"It's not a good way to live." I said sadly, "If it comforts you, at least you know Tomoyo is a nice person."

"Oh, I know." He turned rose, "Don't get me wrong… I've liked Tomoyo for a long, long time. Ever since we were just children."

I thought about it. As I said, Yamato didn't really talk to anyone much. He did grow up with us, though, but he was the quiet kid. As I remember my flashbacks, I do remember him getting red around Tomoyo. Huh, who knew!

"You still aren't happy about the marriage?" I asked.

"I still retain the same sentiments. I can't marry someone who doesn't love me back. Especially when that person clearly has her heart set on someone else."

"She told you?" I said, surprised.

"She didn't… but from your reaction, it confirms my suspicions." He smiled, "I know how a person looks and feels when they're in love with someone else."

"Oh?"

"You can just tell." He moved his hair from his face, "Besides, I've seen her around when she's not wearing her flowy clothes that hide her stomach. She's got a bump there and I know it's no food baby."

"You're very observant." I complimented. Yamato was definitely nothing like his brother. Talking to him, even though I hadn't known him closely, I just felt friendliness emanate from him. His aura was pure, unlike Tomo's.

"Do they at least love each other? Does he love her?"

"Without a doubt." I smiled, "I've never seen a love like that. Then again, I haven't seen any love unless you count my parents…" I was about to say my brother, but if I had said anything more, I might get him in trouble. Speaking of Touya, I haven't seen him around. It's odd because usually he'd be at functions like these.

"It's a shame that you and my brother don't love each other… actually, it's a shame he doesn't love at all." Yamato sighed. "He doesn't care about anyone but himself."

"Hm, I take it you don't like your brother, huh?" I giggled.

"Am I that obvious?"

"Yeah." I replied.

"I see you two are getting along." Tomoyo came out from the crowd, giving both me and Yamato a smile.

"Welcome back." I greeted.

Yamato bowed his head to his bride-to-be, but I knew now even he didn't want it.

We spent the rest of the night talking. Actually, even though Tomoyo and Yamato were the people being celebrated, they left their own 'engagement' party. All 3 of us went out into the temple garden, where we're usually forbidden to go. Since everyone was partying and getting drunk (as a result that drinking is taboo within the temple, but if it were a special occasion like this, it was permitted to do so).

"How's he like?" Yamato said to Tomoyo, looking at her with the utmost sincere curiousity.

"Who?" She blinked innocently.

"The father of your child." He said softly.

Tomoyo turned red, "How did you…" She looked over to me suspiciously.

"I can tell by the bump on your stomach." He replied.

"It's that obvious?" She said uneasily.

"No, no, relax." I told her, "I think he saw one time that you weren't wearing such loose clothing."

"…Oh." Tomoyo said, "Must've caught me while I was going somewhere in the night, then… I was hoping no one would see me."

He laughed, "It's alright. I'm not mad at all."

"To answer your question… the father of this baby is one of the smartest, most generous men I've ever had the pleasure of meeting." Tomoyo said with a thoughtful smile.

"I miss him every day…"

Yamato put his hand on her shoulder, "We'll get you out of here." He said.

Tomoyo and I both looked at him with confusion.

"…Get me out of here?"

He looked at both me and Tomoyo.

"Both of you."

"How?"

"We'll talk about that another time. We'll divise a plan." Yamato smiled.

"Why are you doing this?" I said skeptically. "Do you know the consequences if anyone found out you were helping us escape? Do you know what would happen?"

"I know my brother well enough." Yamato said dryly. "I can't stand to see both of you unhappy here. It's not a fair way to live."

"You've only spoken to us for a few hours." I told him.

"From these few hours, I can see how truly miserable both of you are." Yamato closed his eyes. "I hate this place, too… I can only imagine how it was for both of you when you two got caught."

After that, people were looking for us. How coincidental, after we talked about a possibility of escape. I knew in my heart I couldn't. If I tried to leave, Touya will surely be in danger. Everyone will be – Tomoyo, Yukito… and even Yamato, because he'll be an accomplice.

After that banquet Yamato has become a friend to both Tomoyo and I. Finally, a friend! I knew he was an Eda, but he was different somehow. He had class and sophistication unlike his piggish brothers; Haku and Tomo, with Tomo being the worst. He had a kind gentle demeanor and enjoyed making satirical comments about the state of the temple. He, like us, believed that this whole place was corrupt. Surprising for an Eda, but I guess it goes to show you not all people related to the Eda family were such bad people. The fact he didn't like Tomo made it even better; and the fact he would sympathize with both me and Tomoyo was a nice thing to have.

With Tomo, he was too busy dealing with political matters within the temple to really pay attention to me. Now that he's married to me, the daughter of the late Fujitaka Kinomoto, he had lots of power in the palm of his hands. Clearly though, not enough. At least things have calmed down a bit. He'd still hit me if I were disobedient and showed signs of rebellion, but he wouldn't go out of his way to harass me like he usually did. In fact, he was never really sexually attracted to me which worked in my favour – at least that's what Naoko told me. He'd much rather give more attention to Rika and Naoko than to me; and in some sick way, I am so thankful for that.

However, when Tomo did pay attention to me, he'd always ask me to take him to the treasury room. He'd at least ask me once a day, but I would refuse him every single time.

I remember him telling me, "I know you have the Clow Book." But he never mentioned it again. I remember his face, it was a face of a person who had gone terribly mad. Other times he'd tell me that I will regret being disobedient and not telling him where the Clow book was or not taking him to the treasury.

**xXxXxXxXx**

I was laying down on my bed with Tomoyo taking a light nap when I heard a knock at my door. I was a bit hazy, but still managed to get off my bed and slowly make my way to the door.

I yawned, unlocking the door and then turning the knob to see who it was.

"Yukito?" I said in surprise.

"Hello, Sakura." Yukito greeted me. I did notice his voice wasn't the usual cheerful one I was accustomed to, even his tone of voice seemed a bit off.

"Would you like to come in?" I blinked. I was rubbing my eyes to get a clearer view.

"…Alright." Yukito nodded and walked into my room.

I shut and locked the door and we both made our way towards the bed. Tomoyo had woken up when she realized that I wasn't there anymore. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, looking at both me and Yukito.

"Yukito!" Tomoyo bowed her head. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No." Yukito smiled at Tomoyo, "I can trust you, you're almost like my little sister."

"What did you want to talk about, Yuki?" I asked him with a confused look. Yukito barely went to see me unless Touya was around. So it was highly unusual of him to just knock at my door and ask to talk to me.

Yukito looked down at the floor and then at me with a serious expression.

"Touya… he's…"

I tilted my head to the side.

"Touya is what?" I gulped.

"He's really sick, Sakura." Yukito finally said. "No amount of healing spells or medicine has been helping."

I gasped, "What!" I was taken aback because my brother wasn't around so much, I had assumed because of his priest-like duties but no, he was sick. Yukito would never lie about that fact.

"He's sick…" Tomoyo got up from the bed and hugged me to give me comfort and consolation.

"I want to see him!" I cried.

"He's bedridden." Yukito said. "I'm so surprised because it happened all so suddenly."

"Just like father…" I said as I bit the tips of my fingers.

Touya was fine a while ago, and in fact, a very healthy individual. As far as I knew from my childhood Touya would never get sick. So to hear that Touya is ill and even bedridden surprises me and confuses me more than ever.

I ran to my bedroom door and unlocked it and then as I opened the door, I sprinted towards my brothers chambers. Tomoyo and Yukito had to chase me to calm me down, but I kept pushing myself. People from the temple – I don't even know anymore, it was just people in the temple from my point of view. As I ran everything became blurry and nothing else mattered except me getting to Touya's room.

There were maids and even a doctor standing outside his door, but I pushed them away and savagely tried to open the door, but couldn't. So I clutched onto a card I had in my pocket, the through card, and in I went to his room. I didn't care if people outside the door were mad at me because I just used magic and they couldn't get in—I needed to see Touya.

There were no person inside Touya's room except himself, who was laying on his bed. He didn't look dead yet, but he didn't look like himself either.

"Brother!" I cried out as I ran to his bedside.

"Sakura…" He said in surprise in a weak voice. He started to cough, but kept on a smile as he was looking at me.

Yukito and Tomoyo entered Touya's chamber using the tunnel way that connected Yukito and Touya's room. So they entered his room through his closet.

"Tomoyo, Yuki..." Touya said as the pair walked towards the bed.

"What's happening? Why didn't you tell me you were sick?" I clutched onto his clammy hands. It was terrible, just a terrible state to see him in. I started to cry – my only family left in this world, and he was sick!

"You already have enough on your plate." Touya replied, "Seeing you unhappy here… if I told you any more bad things I thought you'd go insane. Besides, I hate to see you cry." He frowned.

"The reason why I'm here is you, Touya." I replied, "I never loved Tomo."

"I thought so." He said. "Tomoyo told me he blackmailed you into staying here."

I looked over to Tomoyo, horrified. I confided in her, but I didn't expect her to actually spill the beans – to my brother, too! This was the very thing I was trying to avoid. The reason why I hadn't told Touya about this whole thing was because I was trying to prevent him from harm. Now, all the sudden, he was sick.

"…Tomoyo… why?" I felt betrayed and hurt, angry and upset.

Tomoyo looked away from me in shame and buried her face into her hands. Through soft cries Tomoyo simply said, "I'm sorry."

"Don't blame Tomoyo." Touya said weakly, "I was the one who had asked her… I knew in my heart you didn't love him, but I know how stubborn you are and the fact you would never admit to the fact that you didn't love him. I couldn't ask anyone since Tomoyo wasn't here, but…" He coughed, "When Tomoyo had arrived and when she settled back in, I had to ask her while you weren't around."

"We're worried about you, Sakura." Yukito said.

"I confronted Tomo about it." He said.

"You what?" My heart wanted to leap out of my chest. No matter how hard I tried to protect people my efforts were always thwarted. Why is it that when I wanted to do something, the complete opposite of what I wanted happened.

"He denied the whole blackmailing thing, that asshole." Touya growled. He was breathing heavily as a result of too much overwhelming emotion and his body could not contain the side-effects of anger.

"Sssh." I tried to calm him down.

"I can't calm down… Sakura… you don't have to worry about me, okay?" He smiled weakly.

"I can't do that." I said fervently. I took Touya's hands and squeezed them. "You're the only person I have left."

"You'll pull through it…" I said over and over, whispering the mantra to my brother.

"Thank you." Touya smiled and closed his eyes.

"Please don't die on us." Tomoyo whispered.

"I'm not gonna do that…" Touya replied, "I'm just really tired. As long as Yuki is here I'm fine. He has enough magic to keep me going for a while…"

"I don't want a while, Touya." Yukito said. "I'm sure none of us want you here for just 'a while'."

"Then I'll be here." He smiled and opened his eyes, "I promise, okay? But you better promise me that you get out of that sad excuse of a marriage." He winced. "I know divorce is looked down upon, but who cares at this point. This whole temple has been reduced to a joke!"

"…Touya…" I said. "I'm so sorry."

"I think we should let Touya rest now, Sakura." Tomoyo took my hand.

It really hurt to see him in this state. It really, really did. My heart was breaking in two. I let the tears silently fall as I headed out of the room through the tunnel ways; leaving Yukito and Touya alone.

"Why did you have to tell Touya?" I sobbed.

"Because it's not right, Sakura." Tomoyo said sadly, "You're so unhappy, neither any of us could take it anymore!"

"I don't care about my happiness anymore, Tomoyo." I stated.

"…Sakura…" Tomoyo frowned.

I was feeling so distressed. Not only is my brother sick; but really sick. I've never seen him like that before. To top it all off, Tomo's been going around threatening me and now I hear that Tomoyo told Touya everything – and that explains why I've been getting even more conflicts with Tomo than usual recently, but not just that, but now this can all be so dangerous – especially since Tomo knew, it's a matter of time before he does something to Touya. Even though it's not outward.

In fact, it's odd that Touya is sick and this happened in the first place. I'm so vexed and just overall upset right now, I didn't feel like talking to Tomoyo because I felt really hurt. I loved her, and I wanted to get out and just talk to someone else right now, anybody.

"I want to sleep." I told Tomoyo.

"Do you want me to stay in your room with you?" She asked.

"I want to be alone."

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I really am." Tomoyo went to the door and looked back at me. "If you need me… please don't hesitate to talk to me, alright?"

I nodded and buried my head into the pillow. Tomoyo left the room silently and now you could feel the tension in the room, even though she had left.

I didn't show outward coldness to her, but I think she knew why I was feeling this way. The stress pile just adds up, from one fat pile to another. I needed to sort through all this. I needed to talk to someone else that I could trust and that no one would judge me or tell a soul. I needed to sleep; I needed to dream… and perhaps maybe I could talk to someone I needed to talk to.

**xXxXxXxXx**

I closed my eyes and hoped for the best. I felt my consciousness disappear – then I felt myself fall into the deep pit of darkness. The dream world.

This time it wasn't a dark tunnel of mist as usual, but I was immediately put in a place where there were stars shining and there was actually a night sky.

I smelled the familiar scent of opium in the air.

"Welcome back." A familiar face greeted me. Her tall slender body, her long black hair, her light skin – it was Yelan. She was smoking her pipe as usual while looking elegant in doing so. Her brown eyes were sparkling like the stars in the sky.

"…Hi." I walked up to her slowly.

"What troubles you, Sakura?"

"How did you know?" Silly of me to ask a dream but I figured I'd ask anyway.

"Are you aware your eyes change shades when you're sad?" She asked with an amused face.

Actually, I hadn't noticed that at all. So I shook my head.

"Well, now you do." She exhaled the smoke, circulating its scent in the air.

"Do you want to sit and talk about it?"

"…Alright." I said.

We made our way through the field which was covered in long grass. It was familiar to me, this place, but at the same time I couldn't think about what it was. My mind was too overwhelmed by other things right now to worry about where I was in my own dream or what the scenery was. So I followed Yelan into an enclosure and there, she cut the grass by making a beam of light in her hands and using that beam of light to gracefully cut the grass, as if that beam of light were a sword.

We both sat down on the cut grass and she looked at me attentively.

"Tell me what bothers you." She said.

I looked into her eyes. They were so familiar, I had noticed that before, and I still stand by my opinion that they do look a lot like Syaoran's brown eyes. Now, not only were my thoughts about the whole temple situation, but Syaoran as well.

I told Yelan everything that had happened recently. The abuse I get from my husband, the fact he's threatening me, the fact he's been trying to get into the family treasury… then I told her about how Touya had fallen ill, how my only best friend in this temple had gone against her promise of secrecy, and lastly I told her about Tomoyo being captured, in case I hadn't told her already – and that she's engaged to Yamato.

"The nice fact is that he's completely different from Tomo."

"He sounds like a good character." Yelan remarked, "Do you like him?"

"Only as a friend!" I told her.

"I didn't ask for anything further." He smiled teasingly, "I meant in general."

I flushed as I realized I made a fool of myself. "Oh."

"It's fine." She said, "We all make blunders."

"He said he'd help us escape…" I said, "But I can't risk it."

"Hmmm…" Yelan said as she put her pipe down on the ground. "Sometimes it's good to take risks."

"I don't want to risk anymore lives." I looked down at the grass underneath my feet.

"It sounds like your brother doesn't care what happens to him." She said.

"But _I do_." I pointed to myself. "He's the most important person in my life."

"Aren't you tired of living your life for other people?" She asked, "Ever try living for yourself?"

"Becoming a priestess means that I shouldn't be selfish." I told her.

"What do you really want, though?" She looked over to me. "Putting your moral obligations aside, what do you _really_ want out of your life?"

"For my loved ones to be happy." I replied.

"Think selfishly for a second." She said. "Contrary to what you think, sometimes being selfish can really change things."

"Yeah, I tried the selfish part and look where it got me." I replied bitterly.

She didn't say anything, but she was looking out into the sky and was obviously thinking about something.

"Well, whatever you do, Sakura… don't ever let that Tomo guy near your artefacts." She closed her eyes.

"I don't plan to." I said.

"Good. I hope you don't ever let him near it." She said. "It's really for the best."

"I will." I said.

"What else bothers you?" She asked.

"I'm just upset that everything I believe in is becoming so groggy." I told her. "The whole notion of the temple, purity, good … and what the temple stood for is crumbling beneath my fingertips."

"It's hard to accept that what we believed in all our lives isn't the truth, but perhaps now it's good to search for the truth."

"I don't know where to start. I've been here all my life." I said. "I'm devoted to it, of course, I am a priestess… but lately, all the policies and actions enforced by the temple make me sick to my stomach. Case in point, marriages. It's being thrown around like a catching ball! With no regard to its sanctity and sacredness anymore! It's being thrown around as a toy, a tool, a punishment… and even though Tomoyo doesn't seem upset about it, I know she really is. I guess she's trying to make light of the situation by befriending her arranged husband… but it still makes me sick, no matter how I look at it."

"It's never going to lose it's meaning as long as you believe in it." She said. "To them, it's a like a ball, but that shouldn't matter to you. What matters is how you perceive marriage… how do you perceive marriage, Sakura?"

"A marriage should be a union between two happy people." I said, "In love and out of choice…"

"Then that's what it is to you. You should find a man who thinks the same way." She said.

"It's too late for me now, Yelan." I said. "I'm married."

"Only by word, but not by your heart." She said. "What's the point in marriage if you don't love him?"

"Exactly my point." I said. "I was blackmailed into marrying him. He forced me to marry him because if I didn't… he'd… he'd hurt my loved ones."

"Don't you think he's already begun the process?" Yelan raised her eyebrow at me, "You speak about how your brother always looks out for you… but how does your brother feel about your marriage?"

"He hates it." I replied. "It hurts him… I guess…" I was in denial, but I had to admit it to someone.

"Don't you see? Whether you marry him or not, I believe your brother will be hurt in the end. I think he'd rather see his baby sister happy than to be constantly walking around looking like they're in hell, don't you think?"

I never looked at it that way.

"I don't know what to do." I cried.

"Asking for help is always the best thing to do." She said.

"No one's going to help me now… I mean, Tomoyo's 'fiancé', and I mean that very loosely as Tomoyo has her one true fiancé… but he said he'd help us… but he's putting himself in danger."

"As I said, Sakura. Take risks." She put her hand on my shoulder.

"Also… I know you can think of someone who's dying to help you." She smiled.

"I do?"

"Think deep within yourself, and you might be able to ask that person for help… and if you're lucky, if that person has something of yours… you may be able to speak to them in a dream, like this."

"Would I be actually speaking to them? I mean, it's a dream… dreams are purely fabrication by our self-conscious, right?"

"Not every dream is like that." She closed her eyes. "They may be more real than you think…"

Yelan's body became translucent and was fading away before my very eyes. I began to panic. I held onto the sleeve of her robes but eventually my hand just fell through the air.

Just like that, Yelan vanished into thin air.

I didn't wake up, though, like I usually did with Yelan-related dreams. Instead, I was sitting here in a middle of a field somewhere and my body refused to wake up.

Yelan's words echoed through my head. I was supposed to think of someone I really wanted to see. Who was it I wanted to desperately see and by chance, they also had something of mine I can channel myself with?

I closed my eyes. It's weird to be closing your eyes within a dream and thinking – it's like a dream in a dream, almost! Nevertheless, I tried with all my mental capabilities to think of someone who fit the bill.

Through small little flashes, Syaoran's face popped up in my head like lightning bolts. Striking, then disappearing, then striking again. My heart began to race furiously as I thought of Syaoran – someone I was trying to forget so desperately because it would just make me regret and hate my situation more.

It didn't matter anymore to me, though, I couldn't hate my situation more than ever. Nothing could possibly get worse than this. I needed someone to talk to, anybody. Syaoran fit the bill. I needed to talk to him, even if my dream self was just talking to him – even if it may not be real, at least it brings me some comfort, even to see Syaoran in dream form, I just needed to talk to him in any form, really. Even if he wasn't real, it would comfort me just to see him anyway, real or fake.

I closed my eyes and thought hard about it. Syaoran, Syaoran, Syaoran. I knew he had something of mine – if he still had it around, that is. He had the arm band I made him! So I kept my thoughts concentrated and focused on him. I knew the dream spell, but I never actually executed it before, or at least intentionally. It was a complicated spell that not many people knew how to do; but I somehow I knew it. I never thought I would have to use it, but I think this is what Yelan meant. So I started to pray for him to come, even. Then, almost instantly, I felt a jolt of energy surge through my head and body.

I opened my eyes as I heard footsteps coming towards me.

"Sakura?" A familiar voice called out to me.

I looked around the area, trying to desperately find him. It was Syaoran, I knew it was! Why does it seem like prayers only came true in dreams?

"Where are you?"

Then he stepped forward to reveal himself. It WAS Syaoran! That voice, that face, those eyes… the messy brown hair. My heart was beating so fast! Not because of being scared or anything; but because I was so happy. Also, now noticed that Syaoran was a really attractive man – I guess distance makes the heart grow fonder and you really start to notice people when you don't see them for a long time.

I stood up immediately with my eyes widened. I looked at him there, standing right in front of me.

"Syaoran… what are you doing here?" I was totally surprised and slightly upset at the fact this was just a dream and not reality.

"I'm dreaming." He replied. He took a few steps towards me and then he extended his hand towards my direction.

I gasped. How was it that he was dreaming, and I was dreaming, and we were both here?

"… Me too." I replied. "In fact, I usually dream about someone I knew, who I usually met in my dreams, but she vanished."

Syaoran's eyebrows raised in surprise. He was clearly flustered, just as I was.

"Really… that's what happened to me too." He was so unsure of everything, but to be honest, so was I.

I tried to give him a smile, but my sadness was just overbearing every other emotion I tried to portray.

"I prayed for you to come, you know." I took his hands and held them tightly. I looked up at his intense brown eyes.

In disbelief, he replied, "You did?"

I laughed to myself, even though it did not express itself audibly. I trained Syaoran in spiritual training, but even then I knew he didn't believe in a divine power or prayer.

I decided to tell him how I feel, as no one could monitor my dreams anyway. Besides, it was just a dream. I didn't need to be scared. What opportunities could I have to dream Syaoran in my dreams again? It may never happen again, as my dreams are unpredictable. So I took a deep breath and decided to be courageous.

"I can't take it in the temple anymore." I said. "It's only in my dreams that I can truly be free to say what I want without repercussions."

"Sakura… is this real?" He squeezed my hands.

My heart started to pound again. His hand felt so real and warm – it was weird to feel THIS in my dreams.

"It's weird, isn't it?" I smiled, "It IS real. You holding my hand is real; yet this is all a dream as well."

Syaoran looked so confused, it was kind of cute. It was surreal – it was a dream, yet this felt so real. It had to be real. This was the dream spell – even though it was a dream; it was real.

"How… how did you know to talk to me through a dream?" He looked into my eyes.

"Not many people can do it…" I looked back into his eyes.

I explained, "Not many people can do it. Only people which such a high magical ability could do this… let alone knowing the spell, it's complicated, and it's not something many people knew how to do either. I guess it's complicated, but… I did it."

"How? How did you do it?" He said in awe.

"It's your armband." I looked right at his armband. After all this time, even after I hurt Syaoran, he still wore my armband. It made me really happy inside.

"As long as you have something from me, I'll be able to find you." I told her, "Or if you constantly think of me… that's a possibility too."

Was it the armband that brought me to him? Or could it be that he was actually thinking about me all this time?

"Why… why now? Why didn't you talk to me sooner?" He pleaded.

I looked away from him and then I let go of his hands. I felt so bad – I really did. I was trying to protect everyone, but it backfired in the end.

I looked at Syaoran with such sorry eyes, "I wanted to leave you be… I'm really sorry."

"I'm confused… so confused, Sakura. You told me… that…" He said weakly, "That you hated me. That you didn't want to see me or talk to me ever again. Now you're telling me that you wanted to talk to me and you even prayed for me to come… why? You know you could always talk to me… why did you have to push me away like that?" Syaoran's big brown eyes were so questioning, ever searching for answers in mine.

"We… we don't have much time." I told him. "To answer your question, I just… I just really needed to speak to someone, anyone! Someone I could trust, anyway." I continued, "I thought that I could handle being alone in the temple, I mean, as long as it was only me suffering the consequences and punishments it wouldn't matter to me… but…"

It was true. I couldn't have predicted all the events happening, because it went along differently in my dreams. It was ME who was suffering, being killed – and my brother and Yukito, but to add Tomoyo into the picture mixes everything up.

"But?"

"I think you know already that Tomoyo's been captured." My voice lowered. "Tomoyo's going to get married in less than two weeks." I knew that Yamato was a good guy, but neither one of them wanted anything to do with the marriage. It was disgusting, marriage being used as a punishment!

"What." Syaoran replied angrily. "…But she's Eriol's fiancée!" He clenched his fists.

Bitterly, I said, "Do you actually think the temple cares about that? No. They… they don't even know that she's pregnant or engaged. The only woman they have ever treated decently was my mother; but that's because she was my father's wife and my father was still alive… and my brother…" I said through tears. "My… my brother."

Syaoran grasped at my shoulders and looked at me reassuringly. He did not say a word, but his actions urged me to keep speaking.

"My brother is… he's… I don't know, it's only a matter of time until I might not even have my brother." The tears fell out of my eyes slowly. I fought so hard to keep them from dropping, but they did anyways.

"He's sick." I said. "It was out of the blue. Completely out of the blue! My brother, he… he fell ill. I don't know how long he has left, but … I know my brother. He was completely healthy, but now… if he's ever gone, it means my husband is to take over the temple." I said, disgusted. I hated the discrimination against women here. There was no equality. If you weren't a man, you were nothing.

"Who knows what's going to happen, Syaoran. At this point… I don't know… I'm so powerless to stop it." My voice was so soft perhaps Syaoran couldn't even hear most of the things I was saying. I tried, though, but emotion was taking over.

"Sakura, you're never powerless to stop anything."

"Maybe… maybe it's destiny, maybe it's in God's hands." I said sadly. If it's in God's hands, why does he have to punish me? I've always been faithful to him, the temple, to my faith, but I'm still being punished and still miserable.

"Destiny doesn't exist." Syaoran said sternly. "God doesn't make your destiny, only you do." He pointed to me.

I blinked at his gesture.

"Come on, Sakura, I know you." He smiled, "It was you who taught me to perfect my magic… and now you're going to give that up?"

Syaoran said quietly, "You're the strongest person I know here."

"What can I do here? Everyone in this temple hates me…" I whispered, "Except for a few people… like Tomoyo, Yukito and my brother."

All of the sudden, Syaoran put his arms around me. He took me into his arms and locked me in a tight embrace. I gasped at the suddenness of this. I was burning up inside. It felt so good, so right, so warm. Overwhelmed with emotion, I cried into his chest. He looked down at me and put his hand on my face, slowly wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Sakura, I'm going to try my best to help you and Tomoyo… and to liberate everyone I can." He put his hand on his chest, "I swear. Everything's going to be okay now, Sakura." He whispered into my ear, which sent tingles down my spine.

I looked up at him in a different light. My heart beating fast… how I react… how he makes me feel good and happy… could it be that I like Syaoran?

"I… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."

He laughed, "It's my pleasure to help you. You're not trouble at all, alright? Yu keep beating yourself up. What happened to being confident in yourself?"

I looked down, "There's not much to be confident for when your husband hates you." I wanted to show Syaoran what Tomo had done to me since I got here. So I lowered the sleeve of my dress to show him the bruises and scars Tomo had given me.

Syaoran looked angry and absolutely horrified.

"… I can't believe he did this to you." He said angrily. "Why, why do you let him do that?"

"What choice do I have?" I cried out, "He's my husband!"

"You have a choice. You always have a choice."

"I can't do this alone anymore. My brother, he's dying! He's sick! If I defy Tomo now… he's going to…" I trembled at the thought of my brother not being with me anymore.

"So… that's why you've put up with him this long?" When Syaoran looked angry, it was scary.

I looked at him sadly.

"He will pay." Syaoran clenched his fists in anger.

"Violence leads to nothng!" Surely there was a way to solve this without having a war or having bloodshed.

"Sometimes your pacifism isn't the best solution. Some people just deserve to die."

I gasped.

Even the evil can be pardoned, right?

"No one should ever hit a lady, under any circumstances." He looked at me sadly. He touched my bruises softly. I think it hurt Syaoran as much as it hurt me to look at the scars.

Sadly, I replied, "I deserved it for running away."

"You did it for your freedom. Isn't that commendable, Sakura? Why, you out of all people, are letting this man suck the very essence of your life? That essence that makes you… well, you. Now you're a depressed, beaten up woman. You have to fight through this."

"How can I fight someone who threatens to kill people I love? I value their lives more than my own." I cried, "I saw it in a vision. He's going to kill my brother, then, he's going to kill me. So he can usurp the title of the Supreme Priest." I was in denial about it, but let's face it, it was the cold hard truth.

"And you're going to let that happen?" He raised his eyebrow.

"I can't do anything about it if he dangles peoples lives above my head." Tomo had wrapped his web around everything he wanted, it's a matter of time before he gets what he wants and swallows it whole.

"Don't you see it, Sakura?" Syaoran said, "Whether or not you're gonna obey him, he'll still kill your brother anyways. That's how those types of people are. He'll swim through and create rivers of blood to get to his goal."

He spat angrily, "He's a monster."

My eyes widened.

"…I…" I didn't know what to say. I was speechless.

"You're scared." Syaoran said, "Stop being scared." He put his hands on my shoulders so he could stare right at my face.

"A while ago, Eriol and I saw a bunch of people outside the town – in the forests, opposite from where you were hiding out; but I saw them. Families. Suffering. They hated the temple and everything it stood for. They were poor… and just… it was horrible, you would've cried seeing it."

My eyes widened even more.

There was that kind of stuff happening on Ling Shi?

"What?" I replied, shocked.

"There's much more going on around Ling Shi than you think." He told me.

I couldn't sum up the words on how I felt. I was utterly and totally shocked. How could anyone just sit here, throw parties, do whatever, while other people here were suffering? When I ran away, I didn't notice… but perhaps it's because it wasn't on my side of the island. Could there really be people like that? No, Syaoran would never lie to me.

"…I know you're not lying." I buried my face into his chest, crying some more, "You'd never lie to me."

He pulled me in closer.

"Sakura. You'll see, soon, you'll be out. Will you wait for us?"

I looked up at him hesitantly. That would mean that… he's bound to this, and so was I. Was I ready to make the escape? But like he said… Tomo will always be Tomo. The only way to go is to fight the system and fight him, somehow, I hope, without violence… at least I wouldn't have to use violence.

I nodded slowly.

"Don't be scared anymore, okay?" He whispered softly into my ear. He was stroking my hair so gently, I just felt so at home being locked in his arms.

"I'll wait for you." I said.

"Just a little while longer, but promise me… you won't tell a soul about this." He stared at me sternly. It was so intense, which made me more attracted to him.

"…Yes." I said. I needed something else to prove my promise. Not just with words, but something precious to me. Something material.

I thought about it, something I had with me that was so important. I took the ribbon that Tomoyo had given me a long time ago, the ribbon I wore in my hair all the time – or most of the time. I unwided it from my hair and gave it to Syaoran.

"You have my most precious item." I told him. "This ribbon was a gift from Tomoyo, and I have kept it ever since… I promise you and I give you my word."

It was then it was sealed, the promise. How irrational it was for me… but…

Syaoran made me feel irrational. Everything I believed in seemed to collapse when Syaoran was around. I never cared about my happiness, but he… he made me happy.

"You'll get your ribbon back." He told me.

He held onto me tightly, even more so than before. The warmth of our bodies… it just felt so good together. It wasn't an embrace I felt from my brother, Yukito or my father. It was different… a different feeling I had with Syaoran.

Why am I just realizing it now?

I looked into his eyes, which were so dark and intense. He looked at me lovingly.

"Syaoran…" I whispered. "I…"

I noticed I was fading away, just like Yelan was. My body was turning transparent, and before you know it, I felt like I was falling. I was waking up.

Before that, I swear I could've heard Syaoran say.

"I love you."

It might've been just my imagination, though.

* * *

**Authors note:**

Yes! If you're familiar with the last part of this chapter it's very familiar! It's because it's written in Sakura's POV. This is the stuff, this chapter, kind of happening at the same time when Syaoran and Eriol started training. It's nice to see Sakura's side, and I also added a new character. Hm. :)


	21. Chapter 21: The Price of Freedom

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter XXI: The Price of Freedom**

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Today was the day before the wedding. It was a wedding no one wanted. At least with the people involved. It would be a garish, unwanted, meaningless ceremony. How sad that this wedding is happening, because neither the groom nor bride wanted it in the first place.

After the whole Touya-being-sick revelation, Tomoyo and I were back on speaking terms. I could never stay mad at Tomoyo anyway; and she's been through a lot and we just rely on each other so much, why ruin a friendship? In retrospect, she and my brother were only looking out for me.

Today, Tomoyo and I were just talking before the wedding... and how much we dreaded it. I don't know how wedding customs were outside our island, but temple weddings were extravagant, but also lonely. There were no 'brides maids' or 'maid of honor'. It was just a man, wife, and the highest level of priest available. Love was an option.

"Traditional temple garb." I said sadly, "That's not the way I imagined you on your wedding day."

"It'll never be a wedding to me." Tomoyo replied, "It's not a wedding. Just think of it as… some show." She smiled.

"A show, huh?" I said. "My wedding sure was a show alright." My eyes drooped.

"One day you'll have a real wedding." Tomoyo said, "Don't lose hope." She tilted her head to the side.

I thought of Syaoran.

"Someday…" I whispered while turning a shade of light pink. I took a small breath of air.

"Where'd my ribbon go?" Tomoyo asked.

Finally, she noticed. I guess she was too preoccupied with the wedding and her baby. Her pregnancy is getting to the point that she constantly has to excuse herself to go to the washroom.

"You noticed at last." I laughed, "It's… I don't know, I…"

"Don't tell me you lost it!" Tomoyo gasped. "Well, if you did, I can make you a new one…"

I shook my head, "It's in safe hands… it's with Syaoran." I told her.

"Syaoran?" Tomoyo's eyebrows raised, "You were wearing the ribbon not too long ago, I saw you wear it last week, even!"

Last week was when I had that dream. Well, a little bit more than last week. That dream I had with Syaoran, where I talked with him and gave him my ribbon. I told him I would cooperate with his plan to escape, but I was still unclear on the details. How was I supposed to get my brother and everyone out of here? I still don't know exactly when he was going to come – he might've told me but my memory's been too hazy lately.

"I talked to him in a dream." I said.

"You did?" Tomoyo said. She wasn't new to the idea of dream talking; using dreams to communicate and even see people. She was just surprised I actually bothered to use the spell.

"Yeah." I smiled.

"What made you do that? I thought you didn't want to talk to him?" Tomoyo said with a smirk. "You made him think that you disliked him all this time. Why now?"

"I was desperate." I said. "I felt really overwhelmed when I found out brother was sick, and that you told him that I got blackmailed by Tomo Eda. You know that hurt me, it really did."

"And I'm sorry for ever doing that." Tomoyo said as she clutched my hand. "I didn't mean to cause harm."

I closed my eyes and held Tomoyo's hands in mine.

"I know, all of you were looking out for me." I said.

"Syaoran was, too." Tomoyo said. "Even though he didn't attack Tomo at your wedding, I know he really wanted to."

"I couldn't even bear to look at him." I said, "I felt so guilty… and… when I saw his eyes, I knew that I had to cut him off then and there, before I hurt him… and all of you. I didn't really understand at the time that Syaoran did really like me – I thought I was being paranoid, but you confirmed my beliefs… and I guess I knew in my heart he did, because he acted so strange around me." I closed my eyes, "I had to do everything I could, so I told him off."

"Not the best way to do it." Tomoyo said, "You really hurt him… even underneath that calm demeanor of his, he… he just didn't act the same. He was quieter than usual, colder than usual, and didn't even eat as much as he did before."

"I apologized to him." I said. "I know words aren't enough, but I don't know how I can even express how sorry I was."

"I'm sure Syaoran will accept your apology, if not already, Sakura." Tomoyo brushed my bangs out of my face. "No one can stay mad at you forever!"

"Likewise, Tomoyo." I said.

"Besides… Syaoran loves you."

Then, a familiar voice echoed through my head.

_I love you… I LOVE you…_

Syaoran's voice.

In my dream.

When I was about to wake up, I swore I heard a voice. Syaoran's voice, telling me that he loved me. Why was it that when I was about to wake up, he finally says it? I'm mixed about it. If he had said it to my face, I wouldn't know how to react or what to do about it.

I mean, I feel something for Syaoran…

I mean, when I first met him, I felt safe and I could trust him; even if he was chasing me and scaring me at first. His intentions weren't malicious in the slightest. In fact, he saved me, reunited me with my cousin and he didn't make me feel alone.

Tomoyo noticed my reaction and giggled, "What are you thinking about?"

I blinked.

"Rather, who?" She grinned.

"N-no one!" I said. I couldn't fool Tomoyo though. After all, we were just talking about Syaoran.

Tomoyo stopped pressing the issue when she saw that I was clearly embarrassed and flustered.

"I'm worried about Touya." Tomoyo said, "He seems to get better one day, but worse the next."

As for my brother, he's neither getting worse nor better. He still has enough energy to get by, but he was exhausted and often out of breath. Sometimes he'd burn up, or he would refuse to eat anything. It was a sickness that was slowly causing his life to erode slowly.

"The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with him." I said sadly. "Yukito's trying his best… he's giving my brother some of his spiritual energy, but what if that's not enough?"

"Yukito is trying." Tomoyo said sadly, "You've changed, Sakura… since being in this temple… it's understandable, really… you must know already from me telling you so many times it's because you're unhappy… but…"

"I try my best to be happy… okay?" I told her. "Don't worry."

"As long as I'm with you, I'm happy." Tomoyo said. "I'm safe here. I know that no one will try to do me harm as long as you're around, after all, I'm considered a part of your family… and that I'm important to you."

"You are, Tomoyo. You really are."

"But… it's not just the fact you're unhappy, it's the fact that your whole attitude… your whole demeanor, it's changed." Tomoyo put her arm on me to convey her concern.

"Don't stress your pregnant self over me, alright Tomoyo?" I said. "I'm happy!"

"No you're not." She rolled her eyes, "You're not happy here. Which is why we're running away."

That's right. I was planning on leaving. It's just so hard to think of how to properly execute it. I've been put on watch in the temple all this time, because Tomo wants to keep an eye on me. Tomo needed me for something, he'd constantly tell me that. Without me, how could he possibly get to the treasury?

He was after my Clow book too. He's tried so many times to steal it from me or take it from me by force, but Touya was always nearby when it happened – even when he's ill. Although these days, you don't know if Touya will be better or will be worse in his condition. I can just imagine the chaos if Touya wasn't nearby or well enough to defend me against Tomo.

I mean, even Touya knew of Tomo's cruelty now. He knew about the blackmailing and he certainly knew now about the beatings. Tomo actually… stopped beating me. Instead he'd resort to verbal lashings, which weren't so bad because I don't listen to him anyway.

Still. It doesn't change the fact he's still harassing me – he didn't benefit from it. He's already living in the temple, where our wealth is distributed equally. There is no need for money, so that's absolutely out of the question. Then again, it's Tomo, he's always up to no good.

I swear we make the most pathetic married couple ever; but I guess I'm not married to him spiritually… because I have no connection with him. The only way to fully get unbound from a marriage is if either one of us dies. I have no heart to intentionally kill anyone – but him, however… sometimes I'm scared if I'll live again. If Touya's gone and can't protect me anymore, I'm not sure what would happen to me.

"I have to go." I told Tomoyo, "I have a meeting."

"A meeting?" She blinked.

"Yeah." I told her, "I'll be back soon."

"Sakura… be careful." She tugged at my arm, looking straight at me in the eyes. "Alright?"

"Alright." I smiled. "I promise."

I left the room quietly and awaited my nice few hours with my _lovely husband_.

Speaking of Tomo and Touya, since Touya is sick, I had to take his place as the Supreme Priest, even though I cannot be a Supreme Priestess myself, I was still his sister and he officially sent me to be in his place for the senate meeting. Apparently it's to discuss important matters.

I've never been to one of those, so it should be interesting, I headed off to Tomo's room where I'd meet him.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Not late I see." Tomo looked at me with an annoyed look. He opened the door, "Don't embarrass me at the meeting."

"I don't need to obligate anything to you." I told him.

"You're my wife." He said with a malicious smile, "Just because I can't hit you doesn't mean you don't belong to me. As long as you wear that ring, you are my wife."

"Fine, I'll take it off." I said nonchalantly.

"You don't want to do that." He said, "Do you want your brother to suffer just like your father did?"

"…What?" My eyes widened.

"Your father." He grabbed my arm and flung me into the room with him. He locked the door from behind him and looked at me evilly.

"What about my father?" I said while shaking. I could put two and two together… but… was Tomo actually capable of doing what I think he's saying?

"Hm, I don't know." Tomo stroked his chin, "You tell me, Sakura. It looks like you're thinking something."

I stood there in silence.

"Can't talk now, can you sweetheart?" He cupped my chin. "Alright then, let me tell you then." He shoved me onto the floor.

"You little bitch, you humiliated me in front of your brother. Don't you remember our deal? You weren't supposed to say a word about ANYTHING." He spat at me as if I were a common rat. He looked at me with such hatred in his eyes.

I looked up at him, feeling like a helpless little mouse against a hungry cat.

"I didn't say anything!" I yelled back.

"Oh? Then why did I get a talk from Touya then? I was going to bring this up to you, but I didn't have a good opportunity with all your stupid family and friends around." He rolled his eyes, "I expect you to do one thing and you screw up everything. You're utterly useless."

I couldn't respond. Even though it was just Tomo, and it was a just word, it still made me feel horrible, especially the way he spoke from the tone of his voice.

"You still have nothing to say for yourself, huh?" Tomo said. "I had to sit there and get scolded by your stupid useless brother about me blackmailing you." He scowled.

"It wasn't me." I reaffirmed myself. "I did not say a word to my brother."

"It's probably that Daidouji girl, then."

"No!" I said, distressed.

"Oh, I got a reaction out of you." He smirked. "So, you told the Daidouji girl about our whole marriage, huh? And about the beatings! I knew I should've suspected this… I mean, you were around her all the time."

I could tell when Tomo was angry. I mean, it's not hard to suspect that at all. I didn't want to say anything about Touya or Tomoyo, but Tomo was a master at reading body language.

"You're going to pay for it, you'll see." Tomo said.

"Do whatever you want to me, but don't hurt anyone else because of it." I told him lowly.

"Hurting you would be too easy. I could kick and beat you all I want, or even kill you, but that would just be counter productive." He said, "I know you, Sakura. I know you best… I'm your husband, after all." He cackled menacingly.

I hate this man more than anyone else on the planet.

"Since you broke your promise to me… well, I already begun the process of killing your brother. This is what you get for being a disobedient bitch." He spat.

"What?" I said. I tried to tabulate the information in my head. I again, was in denial, and I strongly upheld the belief that everyone has good in their hearts… but this guy, was a monster!

Touya suddenly getting sick, Tomo finding out… mix it together and…

"I see you finally figured it out, huh?" He grinned.

"No… you didn't…" I gasped.

"Just like what I did to your father." Tomo said in an almost sing-song like voice. "Like father, like son, right?"

"…My father?" I said in disgust.

"Your father, Fujitaka Kinomoto, a healthy, fairly young man… who died due to a disease…" He said, "How weird is it that your father who has a fairly good health standing, has fallen sick?" He looked at me with satisfaction as he noticed the horror in my expression. He took his hand and stroked my cheek.

"I know you're dense, but you're not stupid, Saku." He whispered.

"…You killed father?" I trembled. There were no tears falling out, because I couldn't think about being sad at this moment. No, I was infuriated! I was scared… I was trapped. This man killed my father? How?

"Well, we had a bit of help from the people at the temple, but yes, I suppose I was the one who killed your father in the end." He grimaced.

"You monster!" I punched him in the chest. It didn't do anything but hurt my hand. He was just too physically superior to me.

"Now, if you don't want your brother to suffer the same fate… I suggest you cooperate with me." He said, "I've been very patient with you. If you think you can go around disrespecting me in front of everyone and disobeying me, you're sadly mistaken."

"Spare my brother's life." I cried, "Spare everyone's life, please. You don't have to do this."

"When you keep refusing me, I have no choice." Tomo said, "You better do as I say. We will go down to the treasury after the Senate meeting, do you got it?"

I nodded slowly while tears trickled down my face. I hated him! I couldn't fight him.

Syaoran popped in my head. The dream, it resonated through my mind. The promise he made me that he'd come save us echoed over and over again as I looked at Tomo straight in the eyes and sobbed.

"Help me." I whispered to myself.

"So, you're going to cooperate, aren't you, my precious little wife?" He said.

"You leave me no choice." I looked down and swallowed everything I have left. "You have my word."

"You're such a good girl." Tomo patted me on the back. "Let's go to your first meeting, shall we?"

I nodded helplessly.

"Oh, before we go, you will NOT speak up and embarrass me. Just because you're filling in for your brother doesn't give you the free reins to embarrass me, do you got it?"

"Yes…"

Tomo grimaced, "Good. Now hold my hand and let's go… and while you're at it, wipe your tears. You look disgusting." He threw me his handkerchief.

I wiped away the tears and sucked up my emotions. I had to do this a bit longer, until Syaoran and Eriol come and until I could escape. Even though it was a dream, I successfully spoke to him in my dreams… and, I believe he can come.

If I am losing faith in my own religion and self, at least I can have some solace knowing Syaoran will come. I have to, because I see no other way.

I know Syaoran told me not to give into Tomo's requests, and that he will mercilessly kill my brother anyway; but… what was I to do to stop it? My father died unexpectedly, and so is my brother… either way, I'm stuck.

Syaoran promised he'd give me back my prized ribbon, so Syaoran, if you can hear me:

I'm waiting.

So diligently.

Every single day.

**xXxXxXx**

"It's good you can join us, your holiness." The head monk said as I walked through the doors of the senate area. This is where the deliberation on daily temple life and life on the island takes place, but usually just matters of the temple. Clearly, they don't have their priorities in check.

Especially after what Syaoran told me.

"The honour is mine." I replied, simply because I was expected to be polite and do so. I wanted nothing to do with this place, even if I was the first woman to represent my brothers title.

I sat in the big seat that was meant for the Supreme Priest. Since I was representing Touya today, I sat in his spot. Tomo sat somewhere else which gave me a bit of relief. I was getting overwhelmed with the unfamiliar faces, and overwhelmed by Tomo's presence in general.

Everyone gathered in and soon the room was full with… well, men. There were a few women including myself, but the majority of the people here were men. None younger than 18; and few of them about my father's age and most of them were older. Here I noticed why there was such a discrepancy in opinions – it's because it's full of haughty old people!

"Let's begin. What's our first concern today?" One monk said.

"With the health of his Holiness Touya Kinomoto declining, there is no male blood successor to the title." One man said.

"We must decide on a successor." Another man said.

One old man was fairly short, but he stood out in the crowd. His age contributed to his lack of height. His wrinkles were a good indicator of his age – he had blonde hair and blue eyes, and the same wicked demeanor Tomo had, actually. I could guess who this gentleman was.

He spoke, "I found a perfect successor; in fact, he's much more related to the Kinomoto family than any of us in here."

Whispers were going around the room. They eyed me, then they eyed Tomo. My eyes widened in horror, but my heart hurt the most. The fact I couldn't go and object it made me very uneasy and upset. I knew what they were going to say.

"My son, Tomo Eda, is a wonderful successor to the Kinomoto throne."

Then the senate room was really bustling with chatter.

I sunk into my chair while I clenched my fists. These people think Touya will actually die! It's almost as if they're plotting his death or something. I shot a glare to Tomo's father, the old assholes and then to Tomo himself.

Then, one person spoke. It was a familiar voice, "What if his holiness were not to die? You all jump to conclusions so fast."

I looked to the source of that voice, and there he stood across from the room. The honey-haired boy, Tomoyo's "fiancé", it was Yamato. Tomo and his father looked equally surprised that he spoke up.

"Boy, sit down." Tomo's father said.

"In all seriousness, what if his holiness was to get better? I cannot believe you all, already deliberating for a successor when he hasn't even died yet. In fact, her holiness Sakura Kinomoto is sitting amongst us now, how embarrassing it is for her to see that you are already counting down for his death."

Tomo shot his brother a horrible look, "Yamato. Why don't you go sit down. The senate is for the big boys. Either you listen or you leave."

"Why?" Yamato said, "I have every right to be here as you do."

The Eda father didn't say anything but instead he looked very displeased.

The head monk cleared his throat, "Alright, alright. We will not be discussing this issue further. The young man did make a valid point; we should not talk about any sort of death and successor until it actually happens. Also, out of respect for her holiness up there as well." He looked up at me with a smile. He could see I was terribly upset that everyone was pretty much telling to my face Touya will die. The worst part was, the cause of it was in this room and I couldn't do anything about it. Even the greatest healing spells couldn't give him a full recovery.

I think I might have underestimated Tomo's true powers.

"What is the next topic?" One man said.

The afternoon went by so slowly. From topic after topic. It was all selfish stuff, nothing good for the island at all and it's citizens. Nothing concerning for anything good. In fact, it was all temple stuff and the sickening part of it all was I heard there was a food shortage and they didn't give a damn about anyone else on the island! It was all about them, them, them.

I was told not to speak and how could I, anyway? Not like they take me seriously. I was a woman, and not only that, but Tomo's wife, a rebel and to top it all off they didn't take me seriously at all because I was merely Touya's sister. I was Tomoeda's little maiden, the little virgin who never consummated the marriage, and that was a whole spread out fact. Everyone knew I didn't want to be with Tomo that way, and that was one marital sin I had committed out of many that was the most frowned upon. Apparently, when you get married, you are your husband's property and you will bend to his every whim.

Not a chance. Never for me. My mother never had to go through that, so why should I? At least I had a choice in that matter. Also, Tomo never pressed on it anyway, which proves that he never married me for desirable reasons but just to quench his thirst for power.

**xXxXxXx**

The senate meeting was over eventually. I was emotionally drained and sickened from the selfishness of these people. To think, these people were priests! They too, took the priesthood oath. To be selfless was an important part – but they were being selfish. They did not care about anyone but themselves. It truly revealed their true nature and the hypocrisy of this whole temple.

Was my faith wrong? What should I believe in? How can I possibly believe in anything, or humanity, after what I had to sit through? It was absolutely sickening.

I knew what I had to do next. Tomo was waiting for me, and I had to do what he said.

"Good girl, Sakura." Tomo grinned as we were walking down the hall towards the back side of the temple, which led to the gardens.

"I'm not doing this because I want to be good, you monster." I growled.

He just laughed it off and patted my back, as if he were my friend. I had no desire to befriend him at all. Life was going well until he came along. He MURDERED my father and I'm supposed to keep silent about it. I had to do something after all of this; but what could I possibly do?

We walked across the gardens to make way to a mausoleum near the cemeteries.

"So, this is where it is, huh?" He grinned. "What an unusual place to put it in."

"So people like you can't get your grimey hands on the stuff." I said angrily.

He wanted to me to give up my cards, but little did he know that I left the real cards in my room and I had a fake Clow book with me. Not like the idiot could tell the difference anyway. Since he started threatening me weeks before, Tomoyo and I decided to make a false book. I now carried the false book around with me to fool him – but really, it was nowhere near me right now.

We walked into the mausoleum and he casted a fire spell onto a torch to illuminate the area.

"Lead the way, Sakura." He said.

I winced. I had a bad feeling about doing this as I searched for the hidden switch on the tomb. The tomb belonged to no one anyways, it was just a building that resembled a mausoleum.

Finally, I found the switch and pressed it. The tomb started to shake and move, to reveal a staircase underneath it.

"Go on." Tomo growled, "We haven't got all day."

I wanted to claw in his face, but I had to maintain my composure. I tried to clear my head and remember I was doing this for Touya and everyone else – I wanted them alive, not dead. I had to do it for them. I didn't know what doing this would entail, but it certainly was better than seeing my brother in a casket.

We went down the flight of stairs, it was at least 30 flights of stairs before we got all the way to the bottom.

At the bottom, there was a wall with a pedestal in front of it.

I wanted to say, yes, this is it to Tomo, but he wasn't that stupid. He was looking at me in anticipation.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Do something!" He yelled at me.

I sighed, "Hold on."

I did everything slowly as I did not want to even be doing this in the first place, but I had to do it anyway. My slowness totally ticked Tomo off, as he put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it.

"Hurry up." He said hoarsely.

I went to the pedestal and touched the middle of the pedestal, which started to glow. I tried to remember the ancient chant that I was taught as a child – I never thought I'd actually have to go here. It was just a precautionary thing we were taught, in case we really had to go down here, but it was never expected in a lifetime that I'd actually have be down here.

I started mumbling a chant that wasn't audible to Tomo; only because I didn't want him to know it. Even if he did know the chant, only people of Kinomoto blood could access the chambers which led to the treasury.

The room started to shake once more after I finished chanting. The walls started to rip open, similar to what had happened upstairs.

Unfortunately, there it was. The room, the treasury which Tomo sought. Firstly, I'd like to explain, there were no jewels or golden coins laid down here – it wasn't a dragon's keep. It was simply just a room for Clow's artefacts. The most unusual part of it was the room was clean and kept tidy. It was unusual because it was said that no one comes here at all – and no one could anyway unless they were related to me. To my knowledge, no one from my family needed to go down here.

Tomo walked in ahead of me to the very far end of the chamber. There was a wall with Clow's magic circle strewn all over the wall. Attached to the wall was 4 different sizes of pedestals. I followed after Tomo slowly to take a look; after all, it was also my first time down here. I bet Tomo is having a grand time, from the look of his face. As for me, I was shivering in fear being here, and my mind being enshrouded with guilt.

"Tomo, I don't think we should be down here." I whispered. I wanted to go back up. I mean, I did what he wanted me to do. He's down here, there's nothing here of interest.

"Not so fast." He said.

I walked slowly towards him and now we both were staring at that wall and at the pedestals. On top of the pedestals were holders of the items. There were no items up on there.

"Interesting." He said.

"Can we go now?" I mumbled.

"Give me your Clow book." Tomo looked over to me, "Be a good wife and hand it over."

Since my Clow book and the cards inside were a fake, I had no trouble handing it over to him.

He smirked as he put it on the holder that seemed to fit perfectly with the Clow Book's dimensions.

Nothing happened.

Tomo grabbed my arm tightly and squeezed it. With a menacing voice, he said, "I'm not dumb, Sakura. That book isn't the real thing." I felt his nails digging into my skin. I bit my lip as to not scream in pain, as it would only arouse his sadistic ways.

"If it were the real Clow artefact, it's supposed to glow." He squeezed my arm, "What do you take me for, a fool?"

I refused to cry or say anything to him. Instead, I looked away. Crying would only give him more of an ego anyway. Tomo eventually let go.

"Some kind of treasury this is; there's no treasure in here." He said.

"How was I supposed to know that?" I said.

"At least you're not deceiving me by taking me here. This is the right place, alright… if my research is right." He mumbled, "However, if your book was the true artefact, both the stars on the wall and the pedestal should've glowed." He picked up the book and opened it, and then he flipped through the cards. I noticed that there was some ink on Tomo's hands as he was inspecting the cards.

"Nice try, Sakura. These are obviously fake." He threw them at me. At least he's not stupid.

I did not have the real Clow cards at my disposal so I couldn't use a lot of magical energy right now. I turned the other direction and started to sprint up the stairs. Tomo was vast approaching me, as I heard his footsteps patter across the floor not long after I ran.

"You can't run from me!" He yelled.

I ran for my life as I struggled to go up 30 flights of stairs. He was catching up to me, laughing evilly as he chased me. Running was exhausting, but I had to do it. I had no other choice – I couldn't fight him, so the next best thing was to run away. The first step was to run away from him in this place.

Eventually I got to the top of the mausoleum and headed outside where there was light. I know that it wasn't a smart idea to keep this up but something in me sparked. I had to keep running anyway. It would pay off as I lost Tomo… at least for a moment, so it wasn't anything to go celebrating for. I ran into the temple and jolted towards our wing; our area where we lived. I went to my room, locked the door quickly and grabbed my Clow book. I didn't have time to get anything else – that was all that mattered to me. I casted the Loop spell in the corridor outside before I went into the passageway. The magic wouldn't last for long, as Tomo was a good magician, but it would buy me time to think of something.

**xXxXxXxXx**

I burst into Tomoyo's room, where Tomoyo was sitting down with Yamato. I was panting heavily.

"Tomoyo, we have to get out of here." I yelled.

"What's going on?" Tomoyo stood up.

"No time to explain." I said, exhausted.

"Is it Tomo?" Yamato said lowly.

I nodded as I was out of breath to speak anymore.

"He's after me – he found out the Clow book was fake." I said, "I took him to the treasury, but a treasury is useless without it's artefacts, isn't that right?" I said.

"Oh what have you got yourself into now, Sakura!" Tomoyo snapped. She took her bag and put her greatest belongings in it. She then ran towards me.

"Is there any way we can escape?" I told Yamato.

"I didn't even know there was a passageway in your girls' closets, how should I know!" Yamato said. "I… I don't know what to do."

"I have to go see Touya." I said. "There's only a matter of time before the Loop spell loses it's potency."

I took out the Maze card from my hand.

'Maze card, please grant me your strength. Cast a labyrinth across the temple.' I whispered. The card started to glow and sure enough, I'm pretty sure I casted a labyrinth all along the temple.

"That should buy us time." I said. "I have to see Touya."

"We'll follow you." Tomoyo and Yamato said in unison.

We all frantically went through the passageway towards Touya's room. I pushed the way open so I could get in.

Thankfully, Yukito and Touya were still there in one piece.

"What's going on, Sakura?" Yukito said. He was staring at Tomoyo and Yamato who were also behind me.

"Tomo is after me. I've really ticked him off this time." I said.

"You still haven't explained why you're here." Yukito blinked.

"I aggravated him by deceiving him. I led him to the treasury, but there were no treasures there."

Touya opened his eyes and turned towards me. His brown eyes shooting a glare towards me.

"Sakura, you did what? You led him to the treasury!" He said in a distressed voice.

"Brother, please don't exhaust all your energy." I said. "I gave him the fake Clow book Tomoyo and I made, as to your request, but now he knows and he's really angry… and I ran in response." I trembled.

"You have to get out of here." Touya demanded, "There's no telling what he can do."

"Come with me!" I said. "Tomo's going to kill you if you don't come with me, brother…"

He smirked even though he was physically weak, "Sounds just like a psycho. Perfectly fitting for that husband of yours."

"Now's not the time to joke." Yamato said. "I know you may not know me very well, your Holiness, but I am Tomo's youngest brother and I know him very well… and Sakura is correct, he may kill you."

"I know that, he blackmailed Sakura into marrying me." Touya said. "It's okay, though. I'm already dying so he might as well put me out of my misery."

"No, Touya, can't you see…" I said, "He did this to you! I don't know what exactly he did… but he admitted that he made you sick… and… and…" I quivered as I tried to fight back the tears caused by my anger.

"He … admitted he killed father." I said. "I tried to give him benefit of the doubt, I thought he was a good person."

"Please." Tomoyo said, "Everyone in this room knows that he's not."

Touya didn't harbour any surprise to my revelation. Instead he had a look in his eyes, a smirk, as if to say he already knew this. He closed his eyes, "I wouldn't put it past him."

"Brother…" I said.

"We have no time, Sakura." Yamato said. "If you really do want to escape, you have to get out of here."

"Don't worry about me, Sakura." Touya said. "As long as you're safe—"

"No. She's right, Touya." Yukito said. "We ALL have to get out of here."

"Yuki… are you stupid? What about the temple?"

"Your holiness, I'm afraid while you're ill, the whole senate has been plotting to already put my older brother as a successor." Yamato clenched his fists, "I'm not sure about all the details, but I believe from the start they already had wanted to overthrow you as well. It is the first time I have found out that my brother had participated in the plot or even committed the deed towards murdering your father…"

"The whole temple is corrupt." I said "The whole island is set to be doomed, whether you are here or not. They all want you dead, Touya."

Touya laid there in silence.

"He's right, Touya." Yukito said. "Through all my years living at this temple, things certainly have changed. Ever since your father died, the atmosphere here has become unbearably different."

"I'll do this for you, Sakura, only if you promise that you will stop worrying anymore. You have to escape this place. This has been my very desire for you from the start." Touya tried to lift his body up so he could sit up.

"I'll carry you, Touya." Yukito said.

"I can stand up myself, Yuki." Touya struggled to get up but eventually he put his foot on the ground and stood up himself. This was the first time I've seen my brother stand up since he had fallen ill.

"I'll come with you, Sakura, but you're my number one priority, okay?" Touya said. "I want to make sure you're out of here… but don't worry about me, alright?"

I nodded. "Let's go."

"Not before we take this with us." Touya weakly walked to his dresser. He opened it up and held up a bell with a red ribbon attached to it.

"Take this, Tomoyo." He called out to my cousin.

Tomoyo approached Touya as he requested. She took the bell from his arms and put it in her bag.

"Let's go." Yukito said. "I'll carry Touya on my back."

"You don't have to, Yuki." Touya winced. "I can do it myself."

"Why don't Tsukishiro and I help you walk, is that better?" Yamato smiled.

"We have no time for this!" I said. "Tomo might come in here any minute – brother, please just accept their help! My magic won't last forever. I'm using two spells at once!"

"Fine." Touya said. "Let's go."

Yamato and Yukito both went to Touya's side to give him support. Everyone started walking towards the passageways.

"How do we get out of here?" Tomoyo finally brought up the obvious nagging question.

"There's actually an exit in the passageways." Touya said. "I'd use it when I'd come and meet with you, back then before you got married to that stupid…" He looked over to Yamato, "No offense, but your brother is an idiot."

"No offense taken." Yamato laughed, "I know my brother… he's not an idiot, but he certainly is lacking character and any goodness in his heart."

"Anyway. If you keep going ahead, you should find a wall that is a dead end to the passageways, but actually if you press around the middle you should find a switch." Yukito said.

"Thank you for helping, Yamato." I turned my head to look at him as he was supporting my brother with Yukito. "It means a lot."

"I promised that I'd help you escape… granted, this wasn't a very well planned or well thought out escape, but it's an escape nonetheless." Yamato replied.

"It's unusual that someone like you is trying to help…" Touya said with suspicion. "You're Tomo Eda's brother, after all, are you not?"

"I promised Sakura that I'd help her escape. I promised Tomoyo as well. To be quite frank, I don't like my brother and I have never gotten along with my family." He replied, "I'm a bit too soft-spoken and too gentle for their liking, so I have been told. I have been called 'weak' and useless… but I just firmly believe things don't have to result in cruelty or in brute force."

"That's nice to know but what do you get out of it?" Touya raised his voice. For someone who was ill, Touya still was able to act the same way as he usually did.

"I hate him as much as you all do." Yamato replied. "I have my reasons, but I give you my word I won't betray any of you."

When we finally reached the end of the passageway, I searched around the middle for some kind of switch or trigger. I was panicking even though I shouldn't, as magic is it's weakest when the mind isn't clear and a person is panicking. I took a deep breath and tried again. It didn't ease my anxiety.

"Sakura, calm down." Tomoyo whispered. She bent down beside me and started to touch the wall. She hit a switch which opened the wall and revealed another tunnel network.

"Let's go." Touya said. "Just a bit further and we'll reach the underground."

"Underground?" I stiffened.

"Yes." Yukito said. "We'll find a manhole cover which leads us to the underground… the sewers."

"Ugh!" I said, repulsed. I knew we were desperate, but going near the sewers was just… it disgusted me and made the hairs shoot up from my spine.

"Relax. These are the ancient sewers, no one uses these anymore. This is more like an underground pathway around the island. It will lead us to the town square." Touya rolled his eyes.

We went forward in the passageway looking for the end, as that was where the supposed manhole was. Tomoyo decided to look for it instead of me. I felt bad because she was probably stressed and the pregnancy probably did not help either.

"Found it!" Tomoyo said as she lifted up the metal cover. Underneath the manhole revealed a set of ladders.

"Will you be okay to go down?" I told Touya.

He nodded.

"I may be sick, but I'm no weakling…" He coughed.

"We'll help him down." Yukito smiled. "Don't worry, Sakura. We don't have anymore time to waste."

"Alright." I said. Tomoyo already had gone down. From the way it looked, it was awfully dark down there. I clutched onto my cards and casted the glow spell.

"You've already casted two spells." Yukito said with worry, "Are you sure you can handle that?"

"What do you take me for?" I grinned.

I made my way down the ladders and said, "You underestimate me!"

Finally I made my way down and I was reunited with Tomoyo. I looked around me and saw that it wasn't as bad I had imagined it to be. It was just an old waterway that had been sealed and dried up. The scent wasn't overwhelming, but it smelled murky and mouldy.

"Touya's coming down first." Yukito yelled.

Touya was making his way down and with me and Tomoyo's assistance, we managed to get him down with us in one piece. As I touched my brother's skin it felt incredibly hot. He was burning up.

"Brother, I'm sorry I put you through this." I whispered.

"It's okay, Sakura. We all need to get through this together. There's no point staying there if you're not going to be there… and it's not abandoning my duties… especially when people are trying to usurp the title from me anyways. I'm tired of seeing you hurt… and if escape is the way, then I will be with you every step of the way, alright kiddo?" Touya lightly punched my arm. "I'm your brother… and I'm the one who should be protecting you, not the other way around."

I hugged my brother. He meant so much to me. He was even risking his life and duties to be with me and to liberate me.

Yamato followed after my brother and then Yukito, who was closing up the manhole cover from above.

"Alright. We just need to walk through this way and we'll be out." Yukito said.

Yamato and Yukito supported my brother again as he walked.

"There's no turning back now." Yamato said. "It's probably frantic up at the temple right now… who knows what Tomo's plotting."

"We have no time to worry about that." I said. "We just need to get out. We've made it this far…"

"I was waiting for this day to happen, Sakura." Tomoyo said as she held my arm. "I won't leave as long as you're with me."

"Whatever happens I promise you'll all be liberated." I said. I took the Clow book from my bag and handed it to Tomoyo.

"I want you to keep it safe." I said.

Tomoyo blinked in confusion. She did not ask anything further, she graciously took the book and put it in her bag. She nodded to me and said, "I have your back."

We weren't running, but we weren't walking slowly either. Touya instructed that we kept walking ahead until we hit the dead end as usual. We all listened attentively as he instructed us; as he and Yukito were the only ones who made this trek. As far as I was concerned, we were already out of the temple.

**xXxXxXx**

With our speed we eventually hit the end. As Touya said, there were ladders which led upwards.

Yukito climbed up first, then my brother, then Yamato, then Tomoyo, and then myself.

"Finally out!" Yukito said quietly. "We have to hurry, though… the town seems to be in a panic."

Even though the exit was in town square, it was in an isolated alleyway which made it easy for people to ignore. We were all hidden from peoples views – unless people were purposely looking for us, we could easily be ignored.

It was frantic, it was disastrous, but in the end I managed to finally smell the fresh air and feel the freedom. I knew I wasn't liberated just yet until I made it to Eriol's mansion. We still had to make our way there. I went this far with everyone and I couldn't back down now.

"Where do we head off to now?" Touya asked as he was coughing and heavily breathing from exhaustion.

"Shhh." Yukito whispered. He put his hand on Touya, which resulted in Yukito's hands glowing. He was casting a heal spell on my brother, enough to restore some energy into his system. I felt bad for Yukito as even that exhausts his energy supply. To give some you have to lose some.

"Let's go to Eriol's house." Tomoyo said. "I know the way."

"You lead the way then, Tomoyo." Yamato said. Then he turned to my brother, "As for his Holiness…"

"You can call me Touya." Touya replied. "No need for fancy titles. At this point, I'm pretty much excommunicated anyway."

"…Touya, will you allow me to carry you on my back?" He said. "I don't know if you can handle any more physical exertion."

Touya looked over to me and Yukito for approval. We both looked at him with pleading eyes – this wasn't the time to be indecisive! Touya reluctantly nodded his head.

"Fine." He said. "I … trust you."

Yamato smiled, "Thank you."

"Let's go then!" We tried to move around using the alleyways, trying to avoid as much contact with outside people as possible. With the hustle and bustle and noise outside, we couldn't afford to have people notice us. I'm sure by now they were warranting a search for all of us – especially for me and Touya.

We managed to get to the more prominent area of town; where Eriol lived. It seemed like freedom was finally in our grasp.

"We're here…" Tomoyo said. "Let's go!"

"Right!" We all yelled. I was getting tired so I lagged behind a bit; but I spent most of my day sprinting and running away from Tomo that it was natural for me to be tired. Besides, I had exhausted most of my magical energy using magic. Using cards to amplify my magic made it even more exhausting.

We finally saw the clearing to Eriol's house. I saw it – but did the others see it? After all, outsiders could not see Eriol's house.

Tomoyo opened the gate with ease.

"Can you see anything?" Tomoyo asked everyone else.

"I see a huge house." Yamato replied.

"Weird, I've never noticed this before." Yukito said. "Then again, I don't make much trips out here."

"Hurry on ahead, then." Tomoyo said, trying to direct everyone in. Without hesitation, the men did as they were told and headed off into the manor entrance.

I was lagging behind from the group so I was a few metres away from Tomoyo, who was already making her way into the manor.

There were not much people around here, so I felt safe enough to take a breath.

That was the biggest mistake of my life.

"Not so fast!"

A chill went down my spine. I looked behind me to see the familiar face of my husband, who looked like he was about to murder me.

Tomoyo stopped to look what was going on. Her eyes widened, "Sakura!"

She tried to run towards me but I screamed," Stop, Tomoyo!"

"Why, you're hallucinating." Tomo said to me as he grabbed my arm. "Tomoyo's nowhere to be found… why are you off here all by your little self?"

"Let go of me, you asshole!" I cursed. I didn't care anymore. I was just so blinded by anger and fear. I let go of my moral obligations right then and there. With enough force, I got myself free.

"Did you actually think you could get away from me?" He growled. He then took my arm again more forcefully.

"TIME!" I screamed. I didn't usually use magic without the cards because my magic simply wasn't strong enough; but I was distressed and filled with emotion.

To my surprise time froze for everyone else – everyone else except Tomoyo and me. I was frozen as well, but more paralysed from the shock of being to cast the time spell without using any amplifiers.

Tomo stood there frozen, with his menacing face, his huge hand grabbing my arm.

"Sakura!" Tomoyo ran up to me.

"Tomoyo… you have no time. Turn back before he sees you!" I cried. "I don't have enough magical energy left… so who knows when time will flow again."

"I can't leave you, I can't have you taken away from me again!" Tomoyo was crying.

"Please just take care of my brother." I smiled at her. "As long as he's safe, Tomo has nothing on me now."

"Is this why you gave me the cards?" Tomoyo asked.

"I didn't predict this, but I had a good feeling that something like this would happen." I told her. "After all, it's Tomo."

She nodded.

"Why can't you come with me?" Tomoyo asked.

"It's using too much of my energy…" I said. "If I were to move, time would flow again, and that wouldn't be good. So just get out of here and don't worry about me. Keep everyone safe, and the cards." I told her.

Tomoyo nodded, "You're so stupid, Sakura… getting yourself caught…"

"I know." I closed my eyes. "Just go, Tomoyo. Please. Don't make this be in vain. As long as you all are free, it doesn't matter whats happens to me now."

"Syaoran's going to kick his ass." Tomoyo said. "We're all going to kick his ass, you'll see."

"I'm looking forward to it." I said. "I regret that I put you all through this." I said.

Tomoyo looked at me one last time before running towards the manor. I waited until I knew she was finally safe and no one else could get her.

I closed my eyes and soon time began to go back to its course. I felt reality kick in as I felt the stinging pain of Tomo's force as he held my arm.

"You're coming with me." The first thing Tomo said as time began to unfreeze.

I looked up at him defiantly, but I knew that I couldn't free myself now.

"It's up to you, Syaoran… Tomoyo… all of you…" I mumbled. I took one last look at the manor and one last look at the freedom I could've had. It was up to them now, I had to rely on others more than ever.

I was being dragged by force at first, but soon Tomo's goons regrouped and they all lifted me up and carried me. Tomo was not smiling as he usually did when he had seen me hurt, but he was angry. His blue eyes were a deep blue colour, a colour I have never seen before. I pissed off Tomo, but I didn't piss him off to this point.

I was satisfied, though. Tomo couldn't threaten to kill Tomoyo, Touya or Yukito. He already killed my father, and I didn't need him to kill anyone else I loved.

If I was going to die for this, so be it.

At least they were safe. If the price for their escape was my own freedom or life, then I have no regrets. As long as I kept them protected, I could die happy.

All I could do now was hope for the best for myself. Perhaps I will be saved, perhaps I won't. I have to hold out and hope that Syaoran will keep his promise. I'm sure Tomoyo will tell him everything. Until then, I'm still waiting for my ribbon to be returned to me.

* * *

**Authors Note:**

An eventful chapter to me, I find. A lot more drama and more complications on Sakura's end. At least the others got to escape! Next chapter will be that anticipated chapter. :) Then the story will end in a few chapters... I enjoy writing this story a lot!

For those who are confused about everything, all ends will be tied up and explained in the end. I won't end my story without fully closing every end and without concluding things! So no worries.

I also hate Tomo. Haha. Why can't he be more like his little brother? :P

R&R!


	22. Chapter 22: The City in Flames

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter XXII: The City in Flames**

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I honestly didn't know what to expect when I heard banging at the door. Here I was, with Eriol, sitting down at the living area when we heard loud repetitive bangs; it seemed so desperate, too. Eriol however had a look on his face like he was expecting some visitors.

When Eriol stood up to see who was making such a racket on the door, you bet that I followed him so I could see who it was.

When Eriol opened the door I couldn't believe my eyes. Tomoyo was standing at the door with tears running down her face and the Clow book clutched in her arms. Behind her was what looked to be Sakura's friend Yukito and her brother, Touya, and a young man about my age who looked like a male Sakura: light brown hair with green eyes. They all looked so exhausted and so desperate for some form of shelter and protection.

"Tomoyo…" Eriol's eyes widened as he looked at his fiancée. Eriol stepped aside to let everyone in.

I frantically searched for the missing person. Sakura wasn't there and was nowhere to be found.

Eriol took a quick glance and Touya and then he snapped his fingers, "Nakuru!"

Nakuru appeared from what it seemed like nowhere, rushing to Eriol's command.

"Yes, Eriol?" She smiled.

"Please bring this man to a bed upstairs. He needs rest. I will go up there shortly." Eriol said to Nakuru.

"What are you going to do with him?" Yukito asked.

"Don't worry, Yukito." Tomoyo said gently, "Eriol would never hurt anyone on purpose."

Yukito nodded, "May I please accompany them, then?" He looked over to Eriol for permission.

"Of course you can." Eriol lightly laughed, "You don't need to ask me for permission."

As Nakuru carried Touya's body upstairs, Yukito followed. Leaving me, Tomoyo, Eriol and this other guy downstairs.

"What's going on?" I said angrily. "Where's Sakura?"

Tomoyo looked at me guiltily with tears in her eyes, but she did not utter any words. No words needed to be said after looking at her exhausted, saddened face.

"Even I don't know what happened to Sakura." The man said, "She was with us just moments ago… I didn't notice until now she's not with us." He looked over to Tomoyo for answers. I think everyone did.

"Let's sit down instead of sitting here, shall we?" Eriol said as he led all of us to the living area. I agreed, soft cushions was a much more agreeable place to have a proper conversation than standing up near the doors that led to the outside.

I didn't really want to have a 'civilized' conversation. I wanted to know why everyone, including Sakura's brother was here, and why she wasn't… and why Tomoyo was holding Sakura's card book that Sakura NEVER left without. There were so many things going on in my mind that didn't make sense – I could connect the dots, but I connected too many dots to the point I jumped to conclusions. My worst fear of all is that she was dead. I really couldn't know until Tomoyo opened up her mouth.

So here I was, sitting here anxiously, waiting for Tomoyo to speak. I know that she was stressed out, but it's Sakura! Why is Tomoyo here, and who are all these people and what do they want? Why is it everyone is here, but the one that truly mattered to me wasn't?

"So, what happened to Sakura?" I said immediately as Tomoyo sat down.

Again, Tomoyo sat there silently.

"Tomoyo…?" Eriol patted his fiancées back to comfort her. "Are you alright?"

Smooth one, Eriol. Here I thought you had some common sense. The girl is sitting there with tears going down her face and he asks her if she's alright! Obviously she wasn't.

"…Sakura was here with us, you know." The man said.

"Who are you?" I asked. I suppose my tone was rather rude, but I've been itching to know since I laid eyes on him.

"Oh, pardon me!" The guy laughed nervously, "I'm Yamato Eda."

"An Eda?" I growled. I stood up and nearly punched this guy in the face. If he was an Eda then he must be related to that no-good 'husband' of Sakura's.

"Syaoran! Don't!" Tomoyo yelled. "He's with us."

"How are you so sure you can trust this guy?" I said. "He's got the last name, Eda, he must be related to that… that…"

"I understand your anger." Yamato said, "I mean you or anyone else no harm here. In fact, I helped Sakura escape."

"If you did, why isn't she here?" I said in a rather sarcastic tone of voice.

My patience and tolerance was running thin. I operated on 4 hours of sleep and endless hours of training and dealing with townspeople, so obviously whatever patience I had left was running on a thin thread.

"I don't know." He said sadly. "She was with us moments ago… I honestly just noticed she wasn't there."

"Something doesn't sound right about this…" I told him and gave him a very intimidating look. I was skeptical – who was this guy and what did he have to do with any of this?

"Syaoran, please don't sass Yamato any longer." Tomoyo said, "Yes, while it may be true he is related to Tomo Eda, he is nothing like his brother."

"Brother huh?" I said.

"I'm nothing like my older brother." He defended himself. "I actually _hate_ Tomo, and I hate what he's done to Sakura… and everyone else in the temple… among other things." His eyes flashed in anger as he slammed his hand on the coffee table, "Ever since I witnessed Sakura's wedding to my brother, I knew I had to get her out…"

"How noble of you." Eriol said. Unlike me, Eriol wasn't so particularly harsh or sarcastic towards this guy.

"Sakura…" Tomoyo said quietly. We all looked at her intently.

"What about Sakura?" Eriol spoke gently to his fiancée. He started to rub her hand to make her comfortable. I could tell Eriol was happy, but at the same time distressed.

I think everyone who cared about Sakura was distressed at this point. Especially me, I just wanted to run out and find Sakura, even though I didn't know the whole story. I had to know the whole story before I go do something – because I'm sick of sitting here and idly doing nothing. I knew mine and Eriol's plan was to train then strike with a bunch of people, but my patience was wearing thin. I wanted to be with Sakura.

I wanted to fulfill my promise to her, the promise to return her ribbon.

"Sakura … Yamato is right, Sakura was just right there … in fact, she herself was able to see the manor… yet…" Tomoyo's hands were shaking. Poor Tomoyo, for being so stressed, and poor baby inside Tomoyo, who was probably being shaken up due to Tomoyo's stress.

"Yes?" Eriol smiled. "Go on, Tomoyo."

I wanted to scream at Tomoyo and tell her to get on with it, but I suppose Eriol had a kinder, more gentle way to get her to speak. Getting a shaken up person to speak was no easy task.

"I should've waited with Sakura…" Tomoyo said, "She was lagging behind a bit, understandable because she had been running around too much today. She pissed off Tomo, and that's what made her impulsively decide to run away... she used her magic to buy time, and it did, but using that much magic while you're physically exhausted would make anyone lag behind…"

I couldn't fault Tomoyo for not being with Sakura. I also couldn't fault the others. I was piecing together the details she had given so far, but I knew Tomoyo was far from over in terms of explaining. I sat there patiently, waiting for her to conclude her explanation on the whereabouts of Sakura.

"I saw it. When we got here, I told the others to go ahead. Touya is sick… so I wanted to prioritize him getting here. Then, as I was about to enter, I checked up on Sakura and before you know it, I see _him_ standing there." Tomoyo recalled.

"No…" Yamato's eyes widened, "You can't be serious…"

"I saw Tomo there, standing behind her, and he grabbed her arm. He looked so angry and so _mad_. It wasn't the usual expression I had seen in Tomo before, but then again, I have never seen Tomo mad—but from what Sakura says, Tomo is always mad at her." Tomoyo wiped her tears away, "I tried to come to Sakura's aid, but as I did, she managed to freeze time without her cards to help her. I knew because I'm holding them in my hands as I speak."

I looked at the red book Tomoyo was holding. I understood – these were Sakura's cards, her precious cards she wouldn't leave behind or leave anywhere without them. I clenched my fists. I heard enough, but Tomoyo kept going.

"Sakura froze time to let me escape. She told me to… and she couldn't run away because she told me she had exhausted most of her magical powers. She only had enough energy so she could freeze time for me… so that I could escape." Eriol took Tomoyo in his arms as she sobbed and sobbed. I felt such a mix of emotions: I was angry because this all happened, sad because Tomoyo was crying, and very very upset that Sakura, yet again, got captured by her psychotic husband.

"So that's it, huh?" Yamato said in disgust, "My brother doesn't know when to quit… he's not as much of an idiot as I thought he was…"

"Sakura used up most of her resources to try and get him away, but I think she knew that she'd eventually get caught again." Tomoyo said. "What other reason would there be to give me the book? I thought it was strange but… it makes a lot more sense."

"Why would she do that?" I said.

"She was doing it for us." Tomoyo said. "To ensure that we were safe."

"For once, why couldn't she think about herself? Damn it!" I yelled.

"The last words she told me was she was looking forward to Syaoran – no, all of us kicking Tomo's ass." Tomoyo said. She stood up and walked towards me. Tomoyo grabbed my hand and looked at me square in the eyes.

"She's counting on you… Syaoran."

"I know." I said. "I promised her, after all."

"So it's true." Tomoyo smiled sadly, "She was able to communicate with you through your dreams."

I nodded.

"Then you have to keep your word." Tomoyo said.

"Oh, we will." Eriol said. "As for you, you're pregnant and you can't afford to be going into this battle. You will have to stay home."

"I can't just idly sit here!" Tomoyo argued.

"You have to." Yamato said, "For your baby."

"If you'll excuse me…" Eriol said, "I have to go upstairs to tend to the sick man. I'll be back when I'm finished…"

Eriol stood up and walked away to go upstairs, leaving only the 3 of us down here.

"I can't believe her. Really, I can't." I shook my head in disappointment. "She's too good to be going through this much. I mean, have you seen the bruises on her? That piece of shit husband _hits_ her. No self-respecting man should ever hit a woman, let alone their own wife! We have to go there now."

"Don't be rash." Tomoyo said, "There's a bunch of guards out there right now… and…"

"There's no telling what he can do though, Tomoyo." Yamato said. "I'd hate to be the rash one here, but he's right. We should go as soon as possible to get Sakura back… however…"

"What?"

"My brother seems to be heated up, so you claim, Tomoyo. I've never seen him truly angry so it is kind of scary to think about."

"He's a coward if he has to resort to blackmailing and hitting a woman." I said.

"He's a really good magician." Yamato said, "Compared to me… well, I wasn't a very good magician anyway which is why I was the least favourite in comparison to my older brothers Haku and Tomo."

"He's not that good if Sakura could cast her time spell and he wasn't able to evade the spell." Tomoyo remarked.

"He's not THE best magician, but he certainly is ruthless. To compensate for that, he trains physically every day. Why do you think he's so big and bulky underneath those robes?" Yamato replied.

"Are you saying I can't kick his ass because he's big and muscular? Please." I rolled my eyes. "Why are we just sitting here? Let's go and teach him a lesson."

"Numbers. Remember?" Tomoyo replied. "Do you really think our small group can handle dealing with hundreds of guards? You must be absolutely mad if you think that, Syaoran."

"You think I haven't thought of that?" I scoffed. "Eriol and I have been training civilians who don't like the temple to go on and do a full attack."

"Really." Tomoyo said in disbelief.

I glared at her, "Yes, really. We were actually planning to launch an attack tomorrow. It's been a full month already since _you've_ gotten captured, Tomoyo."

Tomoyo lightly laughed, "Time goes by so quickly, then."

"You're laughing at your capture?" I was bewildered. Tomoyo always has to twist something serious into something that she can laugh at. How is she just sitting here calmly?

"Relax." She said. "Also, it would've been interesting if you guys actually did plan to infiltrate tomorrow… it was supposed to be my wedding."

"Wedding?" I raised an eyebrow. "How could you get married if your fiancé was nowhere near the temple?"

"I'll explain that." Yamato chimed in, "For punishment, the senate and my brother decided that the best punishment for Tomoyo was to get married to someone she didn't love and that she should marry someone who would set her straight."

He rolled his eyes, "My family never liked me and they suspected I don't like women, which is totally false, so they decided that I should marry Tomoyo. Originally, I remembered, my older brother Haku was going to propose to Tomoyo many years ago … but Tomoyo ran away and so Haku married someone else."

"Hah, that doesn't stop Tomo from having 2 more wives." Tomoyo said scornfully. "He has poor Naoko and Rika in his grasp!"

"What?" I said. "Not only is he a woman beater, but he's a polygamist?" Each and every detail I find out about Tomo Eda made him more and more unappealing to me.

"Anyway. The point is that my brother thought it'd be a good idea if I married Tomoyo."

"You know she has a fiancé, right? He was sitting here, RIGHT here with us." I said defensively. I mean, Eriol was annoying but still – Tomoyo was his woman; his future wife!

"I figured that." Yamato smiled. "I never wanted to marry Tomoyo in the first place, either. I figured out she shared the same sentiments; and I figured she had someone else seeing that prominent baby bump."

"Why don't we go upstairs to join Eriol?" Tomoyo changed the subject. "I want to see how Touya is doing."

So we went up the stairs to find Eriol. If it were just me, it'd take me a while to find him because I'm still slightly overwhelmed by the amount of doors and rooms this manor has. Even though Tomoyo had been gone for a month, she still knew where everything was.

We heard talking and noises echoing through the hallways of the second floor. All 3 of us quickly ran to find the source, as that was where Eriol was with the others.

When we got there, the door was wide open. Eriol was kneeling beside Sakura's brother and there was a strange glow coming from both of them. When I looked below Eriol, I saw a huge magical circle; similar to what Sakura did when she casted spells using her cards.

The glow lasted momentarily before everything faded back into normality.

"Eriol!" Tomoyo said as she walked into the room and kept her gaze at Touya. She knelt down beside Eriol, both looking at Touya.

"Will he be alright?" Tomoyo whispered.

"I believe so." Eriol put his hand on Touya's forehead.

Yukito, who was standing at the other side of Touya's bed also touched his forehead.

"His fever!" The grey haired man said as his brown eyes widened, "It's gone!"

Yukito was in awe and disbelief. I could see though, that he was happy. Even though his lips did not curve into a smile, his eyes were sparkling—his eyes were the ones smiling. It was the same look when you see someone you love; a look of relief.

"This isn't an ordinary illness." Eriol said lowly.

We all turned to Eriol and awaited his explanation.

"He was poisoned." Eriol looked at his hands. They were purple in colour and the purple was slowly dripping from the palm of his hands onto the floor.

"Poisoned…?" Yukito blinked.

"Someone must've put something in his food or drink." Eriol said. "However, there's more to it than that."

"What?" Tomoyo asked.

"The poison left this man vulnerable to hexes. The poison would seep inside his body, destroying the body's natural physical defenses. When someone is sick, their magical and spiritual powers go significantly down. That leaves a lot of room for someone to hex him."

"Hexing?" Tomoyo gasped, "Hexing is witchcraft!"

"Indeed it is." Eriol said, "Not normal magic at all, but dark, evil magic."

"Who could've done it?" Yukito said.

"Isn't it obvious?" Yamato stepped in, "Who else could it be?"

"Tomo… Eda?" I quickly turned my head to Yamato. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "My brother… he was always interested in the occult."

"He calls himself a priest?" Tomoyo gritted her teeth and slammed her fist onto the bed, "How despicable!"

"Actually, the Eda family had always kept a keen interest in the occult. Except for myself and my mother." Yamato said sadly, "My mother died when I was younger, and I'm still unsure on how she died, but … she was never interested in the occult to begin with; or the Eda-Kinomoto rivalry. Following in her legacy, I was never interested in such meaningless rivalries in the first place."

"Why do you tell us this now?" I said.

"I didn't know that my brother would actually go on and hex Sakura's brother." Yamato stroked his chin, "You see, ever since he got more involved in the senate, he's been a lot more secretive in his affairs – actually, my other brother and my father as well; however, Tomo is the one who is the most involved out of the three of them."

"Whatever it is, I alleviated the hex." Eriol shook his head, "You don't really have to be a very powerful magician to cast a hex, you just need to have a sufficient magical ability and knowledge of hexes… obviously whoever did this knows a lot about dark magic. Clever on his part, if it were your brother who did this to Touya… physically poisoning him before hexing."

"This just gets worse and worse, doesn't it? And this psycho, who supposedly knows hexes as well, is off with Sakura!" I yelled. I know I wasn't helping but I was tired of standing here doing nothing. My rational side luckily was there to balance out my impulsive side – I knew there were lots of guards outside and I would easily be outnumbered and possibly killed.

"Sakura?" Touya slowly opened his eyes.

"How do you feel?" Eriol asked.

"I feel… a lot better." Touya sat up. He was scanning the room to find Sakura, as I could tell from the look on his face.

"Where is she?" He demanded, "Where is my sister?"

Yukito and Tomoyo tried to calm him down. Yukito actually had to physically pin Touya down onto the bed so he doesn't go berserk. I would react the same way if I found out my sister was missing. In fact, I am mentally going berserk but I am only composing myself so I don't land into further trouble.

"Your holiness, please relax." Eriol's voice was gentle and calm. He definitely knew how to keep his emotions in check.

Tomoyo then explained what happened to Sakura. Her brother was not like Sakura; he was impulsive, angry, and very emotional. He was feeling what I was feeling inside, too. I could see it in his expression, his body language, and I could just feel that he was distressed as the rest of us.

"I failed to protect her…" Touya said, "I'm supposed to protect MY little sister! I accompanied her here so I can help her escape… damn it, I'm going back to the temple."

"Don't do that, please." Yukito said. "You're still recovering from your illness."

"Yuki, it's Sakura! That stupid fucking Tomo Eda… I'm going to rip his head off." Touya cracked his knuckles.

"May I remind you, your holiness, that it was possibly Tomo Eda who casted this hex on you and made you ill." Eriol shook his finger in Touya's face. "I don't think you're in a position to go and rip anyone's head off just yet."

"I don't care." Touya said, "Sakura's been through too much, and what for? To protect me! I'm much older than her – she's so much younger than me… she has more to live for than I do."

"If you go out there now, you surely will be prosecuted as well." Yukito reminded Touya, "It's forbidden to escape the temple; and I'm sure many suspected that it was us who helped Sakura to attempt to escape… and as for Tomoyo, she was already considered a temple prisoner, and since we're all here, they will prosecute you for helping a 'criminal' escape."

"I'm the Supreme Priest!" Touya said. "Although not officially yet…"

"You and I both know whether you're a Supreme Priest or not, that even the power of your title won't make you an exception to the laws in the temple." Yukito said, "After all… it's just a figure head title, you very well know the person who decides everything is the people from the senate."

"Sakura helped us escape, Touya. She wanted you here so that Tomo could no longer blackmail her about your wellbeing." Tomoyo looked at Touya straight in the eyes. Sternly, she asked, "Do you really want Sakura's sacrifice to be in vain?"

"No." Touya said, "But I don't want to lose my sister, either."

"It would be unwise to go out there right now and attack." Eriol shook his head, "The man has a point. You are all technically criminals, according to those obscure laws your temple has. We have to go through this with a plan in mind."

"Eriol, we don't have much time." I said.

"We will go according to plan." Eriol said.

"No!" I yelled, "I can't wait another day, we need to go NOW."

"What about everyone else?" Eriol said, "We planned with the other people that we would meet in the morning. We've been plotting this for weeks, are you really going to do this for the sake of your emotions?"

"Yes, in fact, that's exactly what I'm going to do." I turned around.

"Who are you?" Touya raised his eyebrow to me, "And why are you so concerned with my sister, anyway?"

Tomoyo started to giggle, which caused me to be irritated. Being over emotional and being stressed does not leave a lot of room to be patient.

"I'm just a friend." I told him.

"What's your name?" His voice rose.

"…S-Syaoran Li." I turned around to face Touya. He was definitely the opposite of Sakura. Sakura's face was so kind and gentle, but her brother's face was intimidating and scary … and annoying. I was annoyed by the way he looked at me as if I were some thug or something.

"Oh." Was all that Touya said for the moment. His scary gaze did not break for a second.

"So you're that Syaoran Li?" Yukito smiled at me. "Sakura told us all about you and how you helped her."

"Y-yes…" I said. "But now's not the time to talk about that; I'm going!"

I did not want anyone to stop me or to talk me out of it. All I could think about was Sakura and that idiot Tomo Eda – if he was able to inflict such horrible things to her, the thought of him doing more harm to Sakura whilst angry made my blood boil. The images of Sakura's scars were forever burned into my mind as well as the crying face of Sakura – it was horrible, just horrible. She was a priestess who did nothing but good things for people and now she gets treated like an insect because she wanted freedom. It was absolutely absurd to me – as far as I was aware, there were no codes in protecting women here, let alone protecting human beings. So much for a holy place such as this. It's the very definition of hell.

**xXxXxXxXx**

I ran down the stairs and took my sword with me. Lastly, before I left the house, I tied Sakura's ribbon on my arm tightly. If I ever see her, I want her to know that I tried and WILL get her back.

The sound of footsteps was trudging behind me, I knew that they were trying to stop me. Desperate pleas and attempts in trying to stop me won't work. I had a goal to do, I had something to strive for. I had to get Sakura no matter what. I was tired of trying to repress my desires to save her for the sake of strategy.

I ran outside to run towards the town. I had no armour, as I didn't need it really. I was fast enough to dodge most attacks, a special ability I had honed and improved whilst training with Eriol and the civilians.

"Syaoran!" I heard Eriol's voice right behind me.

"I'm doing it!" I yelled back.

As I entered the town there was a strong scent of carbon lingering in the air. I stood in the middle, in between the town and Eriol's house and I watched in horror as civilians were running around frantically, screaming and crying.

The smoke stung my eyes and my lungs closed up.

"What the hell?" Yamato said from behind me.

The vibrant blue sky was being covered by a veil of black smoke, no doubt caused by the fire that was engulfing the town.

Tomoyo screamed from behind us, "Oh my god!" She yelled.

"Tomoyo, stay back!" Eriol cried out, "You're in no position to be out here."

Even I started to cough and hack. I covered my face with my hand. Even then, my eyes gave into the sting that the smoke provided.

"Help!" People screamed.

"Why is the town on fire?" I asked Eriol.

"Why are you asking me?" Eriol said, panicked.

Touya and Yukito also followed from behind us. As they laid their eyes on the burning town before us, devastation and shock were plastered on both their faces. It made things worse as you could see, feel and hear the crackling of the fire burning down the buildings around the city.

Civilians were fighting soldiers, soldiers who were threatening to kill if they did not reveal the information needed.

"Tomoyo, run." I gave her a grim look.

"This can't be good. There's temple soldiers everywhere…" Touya said.

"Let's turn back, Touya. You're in no condition to be out here with all this smoke and flames. You've barely recovered!" Yukito pleaded.

"Do you actually expect me to sit here and watch as my home burns down? Do you expect me to sit here while I wonder about my sister, Yukito? I don't even know what's going on!"

"Please go back inside, Tomoyo." Eriol said softly to Tomoyo. "Do it for me, do it for Sakura, and do it for the baby. We need you alive, alright?"

"Eriol…" Tomoyo hesitated. "You're going to be out there, though…"

"You'll still be protected, trust me." Eriol whispered. "Please, Tomoyo."

"Come back home… alive." Tomoyo said, "Do you hear me, Eriol Hiiragizawa?"

He nodded.

Tomoyo waved to the rest of us, "Please come home alive! Please bring back Sakura… and please stop this mess."

"I promise." Eriol said.

Eriol then turned to Touya, "Your holiness… I know it's your sister, but I also care for your well-being. It is not right for you to be out here in such a condition you're in."

"This doesn't concern you." Touya replied.

"Touya, please listen to Hiiragizawa." Yukito tried to calm Touya down by using a gentler tone of voice. Obviously, it did not help. Touya tried to walk away but Yukito kept him from going forward as Yukito held Touya by the arm.

"Please." Yukito said. "Get some rest."

"The town is burning down and you want me to just stay in some house while MY PEOPLE are in danger?

"You're endangering your own health, your holiness." Eriol said. "Even though I've removed your hex and the poison from your body, your body still hasn't recovered from the side-effects. You're going to get yourself killed if you go out there, Touya." Eriol said, "Your body is in no condition to be running or even walking around, let alone fighting and inhaling mass quantities of smoke. You're supposed to rest."

Touya struggled to break free from Yukito's grasp, however, Yukito did not let go no matter how much Touya struggled to break free. Touya stopped, defeated, and then he hesitantly said, "Fine."

"As long as you stay with me, Yuki." He said.

"Of course." Yukito replied.

"You, the Li kid." Touya called out to me.

"Yes?"

"I… well, please bring back my sister."

I was surprised he'd actually ask me that. I nodded in response.

"Good. If you don't, I'll kill you if you're not dead already."

Yukito led Touya back to the manor, leaving only me, Yamato and Eriol outside.

"Are you sure they'll be safe?" I asked, "You're not in the house with them, Eriol."

"Don't worry." Eriol replied, "As long as I'm alive and Nakuru is in the house, no one except the people I designated to see the house can only see it."

"So that's why… from a distance, your property simply looked like an empty lot." Yamato remarked.

"Yes, to those who are not permitted to be on my property, it's only just an empty lot. Nothing special, really. An empty lot with some trees and shrubs."

Eriol then closed his eyes and clutched onto his necklace. Like the scene I had witnessed back in the manor, a huge magic circle around him started to glow, then some chanting followed after that.

"Release!" Eriol yelled.

Afterwards, wind seemed to gust around Eriol and the circle. The necklace he had clutched in his hand turned into a huge golden staff adorned with a sun. It was the same staff I had seen when Sakura had gotten married and he was helping her to stop the flow of time.

Then, I remembered, my mother told me about the Clow artefacts: the sun staff.

I stared at Eriol, remembering what I was supposed to ask him a while ago. Of course, this moment would be a horrible one to go and ask about the nature of the Clow artefacts and his identity, but I knew it. That staff he held in his hands must be the one my mother had told me about in my dream.

"Let's go." Yamato said.

"What are you going to use?" I asked Yamato. A person going into a battle without weapons was just asking to be killed.

"I may not have much magical abilities…" Yamato replied, "I do have my fists." He took out a pair of fighting knuckles from his pocket and slipped it on his hands.

"Alright, let's go." I said.

There were too many people running around, screaming. It was like a war battlefield. Not once in my life had I ever witnessed such a gruesome and depressing scene. The once beautiful buildings that stood on the Ling Shi soil were being reduced to burnt up material and ashes. The plants, even though they were already dying due to neglect, had become reduced to nothing.

Parents screaming, children crying, and people frantically trying to get water to douse the violent flames that had engulfed their homes. Even their magical spells couldn't kill the fire.

I tried to help by casting a similar water spell Sakura had done when her house was burning down. I had learned it from her while we were training.

I was able to kill some of the flames but in the end fire won over water, as there was just too much fire and not enough water to fairly win the fight. I was not like Sakura, who could cast powerful spells and create water out of nothing. I was on par with Sakura but even she couldn't stop everything from burning down.

"Syaoran, it's a lost cause." Eriol said. "Even if we end up extinguishing the flames, whoever is causing this is going to create more."

It was true, even if we extinguished the fire, there'd be an increase in flames. The only thing we could help the civilians with was taking them to a safe space.

"Eriol… in that case, please take the civilians to a safe spot." I told him. "Yamato and I here will try to find the people who are responsible for this."

"Alright." Eriol said, "When I'm done with that, I will go join you two at the temple… I'll get other civilians to round up other ones. I'm sure we can find our team mates along the way."

"They're probably fighting by now." I said, "I hope they can hold it out because this was totally unexpected."

"I'll see you two later." Eriol waved to both me and Yamato. Eriol disappeared in the smoke to do his job. I just hope he makes it out okay in one piece.

"Alright… we have to find the source of the flames." Yamato said. "I'll go over there to the right."

"Alright, I'll go the opposite way."

I turned to my left to find someone burning down a house.

"Hey!" I yelled and ran towards this person, he was obviously a soldier from the temple judging from his outfit, he was from the temple; and he was casting fireball spells on the houses. Thankfully, people were evacuated, so I assumed, as there was a family in front of the house, pleading the soldier to stop.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I flung my sword at the soldier. The sword ripped through the robe, revealing the flesh that was once covered by the clothing.

"Go!" I yelled at the civilians, "Head North for safety!"

The woman and her family looked shocked and hesitant but they cooperated anyway. Ah, the power of my intimidating stares. I suppose if one had to pick between some loon burning down your house or a person who slashed that loon with a sword, who would you pick in that situation? Hard question, but for me the answer was obvious.

"What do you think YOU'RE doing?" The soldier replied. He casted a thunder spell on me, but I quickly dodged it. I ran swiftly towards the soldier from behind, shoving him onto the ground. I stood on top of him, putting my foot on his back and lightly applying pressure on it.

"Get off of me!" He said.

"Why are you burning down this civlian's house?" I yelled as I pointed my sword in to his head.

"I'm taking orders from the temple." The soldier said gruffly, "If you're going to kill me, so be it. I die for the temple."

"Shut up." Yamato said as he stomped violently on the soldier's head; even I was shocked. The blows he delivered to this soldier were so violent, too. You could hear the soldier's skull fracturing as Yamato stomped on it more.

I looked at Yamato's steel boots. They were soaked in blood, a confirmation that the soldier had just died.

"I finished dealing with some soldiers there… I told the civilians to follow Eriol." Yamato said casually.

"You just killed that soldier." I said in amazement.

"You don't need magic to kill people." He rolled his eyes, "But if you think that I'm hard core, my brother is 100 times worse. This soldier right here is just a magic user who doesn't know how to defend himself."

"I only sought out to deal with one person… and that's your brother." I told Yamato, "I don't intend to kill soldiers from the temple."

"These people are brainwashed. They're prepared to die for the temple, or whatever cause it is. My hunch is that my brother or my father influenced the Senate to launch this attack on the town… one thing I forgot to tell you was that my father is one of the heads of the senate."

"I.. I see." I said. "But why would they order people to burn down the town?"

"That… I don't know." Yamato replied. "I just have to tell you that they won't back down. Even if they're from the temple and studied priesthood and spiritual magic, it doesn't mean that they're spiritual themselves… or have any morals or good in themselves. If they could, they'd kill you too. I mean, they're already harming the helpless civilians here who can't fight back… or at least fight back with equal strength."

"You're right." I said. I felt guilty about the whole thing, and it felt like Sakura was nagging me inside my head. Sakura had always been a non-violent person who believed in pacifism. I knew that she wouldn't be happy with me killing soldiers on her behalf or on the island's behalf as a whole, but from what is going on it needed to be done.

Mine and Yamato's faces were turning dark due to the smoke. It was hard to breathe but I kept my face covered when it got especially smoky. Yamato and I hurried on forward to the town square, where even more smoke was present and even more fire was burning up. Unlike Eriol's side of town, people here were trying to extinguish the flames and succeeding, because there were enough people to fight back against the soldiers.

"Master Li!" One man ran approached me with haste. I recognized his face, of course, he was one of the locals Eriol and I had been training with; one out of the hundred or so people.

"Hui!" I greeted.

"Take this, Master Li, it's a mask so you won't be affected too much by the fire's fumes." He handed me a white mask. Well, it seemed to be effective because everyone within this vicinity was wearing one as well.

"For you as well." He handed one to Yamato.

"Thank you, Hui. What's the situation here?"

"We've got it more or less under control… but there are more of those temple idiots coming and actually attacking us!"

"Why on Earth are they attacking the town? It doesn't make any sense." I asked.

"Well, her holiness Sakura Kinomoto was being dragged to the temple. It was visible to the civilians… and seeing as getting Sakura was one of the main objectives of the attack WE were supposed to launch… it seemed like a perfect opportunity to attack."

"You fools!" I said. "That's such a bad move!"

"We couldn't help it. The moment we saw it happening, we had to do something. The girl looked so helpless."

"Yeah, and now the town is being engulfed in flames." I said.

"Not only that, but the moment we launched attack, they fought back, but it wasn't until Tomo Eda and his goons got to the temple with Sakura that a whole influx of soldiers came pouring in and started breaking windows and tearing down the place!" Hui replied, "They were searching civilians houses for his holiness Touya Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidouji—Eriol's woman, right?"

"Ugh. They were?" I asked in disgust.

"Yes. Added to that, they said the Supreme Priest himself… Touya, was a criminal, could you believe that? How can the temple convict their own head of the temple as a CRIMINAL?" Hui said in disbelief. "They also were soliciting people to hand over any objects that looked like … a red book… they held a picture showing 4 objects… it looked like the pictures of these objects had been ripped open from a book itself. I clearly remember a red book with a lion on it, a pink staff with a star in the middle, a golden bell and a staff that looked like the sun."

Hui shook his head, "What in blazes is going on in that place?"

"The temple hasn't been all that stable lately, ever since the late Supreme Priest Fujitaka Kinomoto passed away." Yamato replied to Hui, "It just went downhill from here. I suppose it's the breaking point in that place."

"Exactly why we planned to destroy that place…" Hui said stroking his chin, "But it seems they launched an attack against their own people before we even got to strike."

"There's no turning back now, then." I said.

"Incoming!" A few more men I trained with called out.

"Alright, Syaoran, you can leave this part to us." Hui smiled, "We'll take it from here… and when they stop flooding this area with soldiers, we'll catch up to you." Hui ran off to the next invasion wave, along with many other civilians.

"Wait, Hui!" I yelled. Hui froze his motions and then he turned his head to look at me.

"Yes, Master Li?"

"Bring all the civilians to Eriol's manor, alright? Do that before going to the temple." I told him. "Please, that's an order."

"Alright, good plan." Hui saluted. "I'll see you later."

"I'll see you later." I said as I watched Hui fade into the distance.

It became very violent, with screams bellowing through the air and the sounds of weapons clashing against each other. It was overwhelming for me – It was new, the concept of war … it was funny, I was the Prince of Heung Gong but I have never actually actively participated in any military activity.

"Are you sure?" Yamato asked me. He tilted his head to get a better view of my face; and surely it probably looked very confused and hesitant. I'd ask myself the same question.

"Syaoran, do you really think we can handle it?"

"From the way you handled those soldiers back there, I'm sure we can." I told Yamato. "You gave them no mercy."

"Ha, as long as they're affiliated with my brother and that corrupt temple, I have no mercy." Yamato beamed. It was funny, he surely was happy for killing those soldiers back there – he looked a lot like Sakura, which made it funnier, so it was as if a male Sakura went around killing those soldiers.

"But…" Yamato said, "Can YOU handle it?"

"Me?" I blinked.

"Of course I can!" I said. "I've been training with Eriol for months to perfect my magic… and I've been training extra hard lately in preparation for this kind of thing."

"Alright…" Yamato sensed that I was unsure. "If you can't finish them off, leave it to me." He made a punching motion with his hands. "I'll pulverize them."

"You're awfully violent for someone who grew up in a supposed sacred place." I commented.

"Trust me, once you grow up in there, peace is the last thing on your mind when you see corruption." Yamato said. "Sakura is a really rare circumstance… in fact, the whole Kinomoto family is a rare circumstance. The reason why a lot of the Senate and my family hate the Kinomotos is because they refuse to participate in any war of any type."

I remembered that, that's what my mother told me.

I nodded. "Alright… enough talking let's get our asses to the temple. Let's liberate the island… and let's save Sakura."

* * *

**Authors note:**

This is part one! I have to alternate points of views, so this is why.

I guess it's good Syaoran has someone who isn't afraid to kill people around, because Syaoran is conflicted in his views of killing. He's prepared to do so, but it doesn't mean that he WANTS to kill people.

Thanks for your input thus far in the chapters and if you have read up to this point I am very happy you are following along in my story. 100k+ words and 20+ chapters is a lot. So thank you so much. :)


	23. Chapter 23: Brother Slay Brother

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter XXIII: Brother Slay Brother**

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"So, Sakura, how do you like seeing your precious island being burned down?" Tomo said as he was pacing back and forth through the garden terrace.

"You're a sad excuse for a priest. You're a monster!" I yelled.

I tried to struggle free, but I couldn't. I was tied up on this stake on this hill, which overlooked the island. You could see the whole island from this view – including the area where Eriol's house resided.

"Well, little lady, if you had just obeyed, this wouldn't have happened now would it?" An older version of Tomo appeared from the shadows. I knew it was Haku, I knew that raspy voice from anywhere. It's a voice that you really don't forget because it made many ears bleed.

"You ruined all of our plans, you little wench." Tomo said. "You really couldn't have stayed put… this is all our fault, Sakura. Everything. The suffering of all these people, the fire… it's because of you we have to do this."

I wanted to break free from these ropes and run – or kick his smug face in. At this point, all his words were useless to me. I knew I had gotten Tomoyo and Touya all safely to Eriol's house and that's all that mattered to me anyway – Eriol's house was a fortress against Tomo's wickedness.

"It's not _my _doing that the island is being set on fire – it's your doing! I wasn't the one who commanded all of the temple soldiers to go and set fire to every home in town… so if it's anyone to blame, it's you!"

Haku took his whip and whipped it at me, making marks on my skin. Tomo had stripped me of my robes and left me with just my under-dress on, so to humiliate me and expose my flesh to the world. I guess it served another purpose than to humiliate; it made it a lot easier for these two sadists to hurt me.

Still, I kept my composure and chin up. From the distance, I can see the flames dying down. I knew that the civilians could handle it. I knew that Syaoran would somehow prevail in this. He promised me, after all. I'm sure Tomoyo and the others told Syaoran and Eriol everything.

I knew Syaoran, and I knew his nature. No matter how much he tried to suppress his emotions, he will still tap into his feelings; because that's what a king does. He goes with his instincts – because it wasn't for me that he was fighting for now; I'm sure he's grown to care about the island and the people around it as well.

I smiled at Haku, "Keep whipping me, because you'll still never get an answer out of me." I spat.

That resulted in more whippings. I didn't care if the tears flowed down my cheeks or if the pain stung. I have served my purpose. I've lived my life trying to bring good to others, while searching for my own happiness. In the end, even if I died here due to Tomo's cruelty, I'll at least live knowing that even for a moment, I kept Tomoyo and Touya from out of harms way – out of this temple.

"Sooner or later you'll crack, Sakura." Tomo said. "You're going to tell me where you hid your book and where the other artefacts are."

"First of all, I'll never tell you where my Clow book is, so get it through your thick Neanderthal skull, and second, I don't know where the other artefacts are – I didn't even know my book was a Clow artefact!" That was partially true. I knew my book was important and was an artefact of some sort, but I did not know the nature of the other artefacts or even their significance.

Another whip lash to me.

"We can do this all day, Sakura." Haku said. "Just answer Tomo and we'll set you free, how's that?"

"Over my dead body." I replied.

"Your body will be dead if you don't speak up." Tomo said. "No one is here to defend you anyway. Your precious brother has run away and now even if we find him, the temple will convict him as a runaway. As far as I'm concerned, there's no Supreme Priest running this temple."

"You'll never be the Supreme Priest." I said. "Your heart is too full of evil to ever have a title as prestigious as that. In fact, you don't deserve to even be called a priest either! You've broken all the words to the oath. You've caused more people harm in your lifetime than you ever will cause good."

"Is that supposed to make me upset? Please." Tomo rolled his eyes, "The whole priesthood thing is just a sham anyway. Under my new rule, there will be no more priesthood as far as I'm concerned."

"I'm sure the island will revolt." I said quietly, "The citizens won't take a dictatorship very lightly."

"The citizens of this island who aren't scared of progress will bow down before me." Tomo said confidently, "Contrary to what you believe, there's also a lot of citizens who think that your father was a joke."

"My father wasn't a joke." I said. "He was a kind, loving man, who would never cause harm to any of the citizens here. He would spit at you if he were still alive… if you hadn't so ruthlessly killed him. Burning down the island? For what? Some stupid book and artefacts. You're as selfish as they get."

"You're the one who's selfish for not disclosing any information." Tomo replied, "You're all talk, Sakura, I know it kills you inside to see the poor people of this island be killed all because you don't want to answer a simple question. I wonder how they'll react if I tell them."

"Go ahead." I said. "I know my life is over at this point. Even in my death, you still won't know the whereabouts of the objects. It will be a secret that will be kept with me forever."

Tomo clenched his fists and glared at me. He knew it was the truth. I wouldn't speak at all, even if he whipped me, beat me or killed me. Tomo could continue to burn down the island, but the people will realize who's truly behind it and revolt. After all, people can think for themselves.

"I'm going to burn down all those houses if I have to." Tomo stated, "The artefacts must be hidden away somewhere; in one of those houses. After all, you spent much time in the town as a normal civilian… this must've been your plan all along, hasn't it?"

I gave him my poker face. I did not want to react to his words – he was trying to get answers from me by reading my body language. Nope, not going to happen. I knew one thing was certain, all this power tripping has sent Tomo to the edge. His desire for power had driven this already mentally unstable person to the point of madness into which there was no turning back. In a sad way, I felt sorry for him that his soul will never be salvaged from all the sins he had committed.

Giving him no reaction made him even crazier.

"Damn it, you stupid whore! Why won't you fucking say anything?"

Tomo then snapped his fingers which brought another swarm of temple soldiers to his side.

"Yes, Master Eda?" The temple captain said.

"I want you to lift this stake from the ground and bring it to the town square. I'm sure miss Kinomoto here hasn't seen the magnitude of damage that has been caused by her own selfishness. I want her to take a closer glimpse at the civilians, the damage, and the work that she had carelessly created."

"Yes, sir."

They untied me from the stake, which brought my body momentary freedom from the pain of constriction caused by the ropes but my legs and hands were still bound so I could not move. I felt my body lift from the ground where they had placed me for a moment and then I was floating above the soldiers heads as I was being carried down to the town square. Tomo followed me, of course, one step behind me so he could look at me and try to get a reaction out of me.

We finally reached close to the town centre.

It was heart breaking, I wasn't going to lie. The houses burning down was such a familiar sight, as it had happened to me once upon a time. I knew how it was like to have everything you built for by yourself, and to suddenly have some ruthless and selfish man burn it all down into ashes.

Perhaps it was the smoke stinging my eyes or it was the overwhelming amount of guilt and sorrow in my heart; but I felt them. I felt the warm tears trickle down my face slowly. I started to cough, naturally, a side-effect from inhaling all that smoke coming from the town itself. From up in the hills, at the temple, the smoke wasn't too bad, but down here it felt like an inferno. The worst thing was I was bound and tied up.

I couldn't give up, though. If I told Tomo about the whereabouts of the objects he sought after and the whereabouts of Tomoyo and Touya, every bit of pain that I had endured for them would be in vain. Everything I had worked for, had tolerated and had gone through would all be gone to waste. Inside, I was crumbling, but I had to be resilient. I had to be strong. I had to be brave. I had to hold out until a miracle happened; it was funny, even at this point in my life where I feel like there's no way out, I still had a bit of hope.

Hope that Syaoran would hold true to his promise.

"Had enough yet, Sakura?" Tomo taunted.

"Never." I told him.

It clearly angered Tomo. He had nothing on me that he could use to hurt me. He knew that hurting me wouldn't do anything. He did not have Touya or Tomoyo to use to his own liking so I could bend to his whim. No, he hated being stuck and he hated not getting what he wanted. He couldn't get it from me, and it was getting to his head.

"Set her here." Tomo said.

Tomo's goons set the stake on the ground, carefully pegging it to the ground so it wouldn't move. Once that was done with, the men lifted me up to the stake and tied the rope around me and the stake so I couldn't move. The rope's tightness dug into my flesh making me extremely uncomfortable, no, hurt, even. The constriction definitely made it difficult for me to breathe.

Even though I couldn't move, even though I was physically helpless, I still won over Tomo. His abuse has gone on long enough. As long as I stayed quiet, my psychological warfare will slowly kill him inside. Even though I was hurting, it still brought me such great satisfaction.

I smiled to myself. Tomo deserved this. He deserved to suffer mentally, after all the damage he has done.

My smiling drove him crazy. He started yelling and commanding his goons and his older brother to hurt me, whip me, and throw stones at me.

I closed my eyes. It was just like the recurring dream I had; you know, the one being tied up on a stake like my situation right now. It was similar – I thought it was the civilians throwing stones at me, but it was actually Tomo's idiots hurting me.

Even though I was near the middle of town, the people themselves were too busy battling and fighting for their lives, their homes and their families. If I were them, I would fight as hard as they were right now. They had to defend their homes and loved ones, because if they didn't, then no one would. They'd just let Tomo win.

More tears streamed down my face. I couldn't help it. Everything just hurt too much. The flames, the violence, the struggles of the civilians… I knew this wasn't my fault, but I couldn't help but feel guilty. I knew that if I gave in to Tomo, he'd make things even worse than they were now. Imagine if I ever gave Tomo the information he needed – he'd bring the island into more chaos.

I did not know much about the Clow artefacts but I knew not to ever keep them together in that treasury; because if I did, the island itself would be in trouble. Nothing was further explained except for that explanation. It's been the explanation passed down from generation to generation. I never knew of the artefacts except for my Clow book; the rest of the artefacts were given to other direct descendants of Clow… and for all I know, they could be all over the island, or even not at the island at all.

As Tomo demanded and demanded for more information, I couldn't give him everything anyway. For the information I did have, it was a secret I would keep with me to the grave. Nothing he could do would make me tell him.

"My patience is running thin, Sakura." Tomo snarled, "I've been really patient with you."

"Yeah, because hitting me over and over until I bruise and bleed is patient." I said snarkily.

Of course, more whip lashes to me. So much damage has been done to my body that the pain had caused my body to go numb. I could barely feel the pain that was being inflicted on me, yet I knew my body was suffering as blood dripped from my wounds. I simply just laughed.

I think, even now, just like Tomo, I was going mad as well.

"I didn't want to resort to this…" Tomo threatened me. He snapped his fingers and quickly, his goons got a bunch of dry wood and circled it around me.

"If you're not going to say anything, I might as well kill you. Right here, right now, with all your villagers watching. They may not notice now because they're fighting, but they'll notice once I start the fire." Tomo said.

"What do you gain out of this?" I asked, "I know you're a horrible person, but to resort to this?"

"What do you expect?" Tomo said, "I kill the useless. You are prohibiting me from moving this island in a successful direction."

"Then so be it." I told him. "Hurt me, kill me, the end result will be the same."

Tomo's soldiers started chanting, "Kill the witch! Kill the witch!"

Such a familiar scene.

In the end, I couldn't escape the inevitable.

Though there was one thing that I prevented from happening; there was one thing that always occurred in my dream, and that was the death of my brother and Yukito.

If I die, it's okay. It's okay if Syaoran didn't keep his promise – how could he, anyway? The whole town was burning down and knowing him, he was probably fighting off Tomo's goons and trying to salvage the town. He was probably helping others as he helped me before.

I just wish though, things were different. I know I wasn't supposed to live my life with regrets, but as death was nearing me all the thoughts and regrets and what-ifs started pouring in my head:

What if I had never been captured back into the temple? Would I have been happier? Probably not. I could never live with myself, not being able to see my older brother and not being able to go outside Eriol's house. I'd die from the cabin fever.

What would have happened if I had never run away in the first place? Perhaps I'd be living the same life as I had just gone through now. Tomo was a determined man who wanted an excuse to marry into the Kinomoto family. Eventually, it would lead to this. It's a shame he couldn't channel his determination and drive into something positive and worthwhile.

I heard from Tomoyo that Syaoran loved me. He didn't need to prove he loved me, and heck, he doesn't need to now. I know he promised me, as I had given him my prized ribbon in my dream, but… I knew anyway. Even after all this time he loved me. After all this time, I still struggled with my emotions. I think I know now, though, that I loved Syaoran. Every time I was in trouble I would always think about him and how I wanted him to come to my rescue. I suppose not every knight can successfully rescue the damsel in distress.

I just wish that I could've told Syaoran that I loved him as well.

I closed my eyes. I might as well sleep now. All I could hear was the repetitive chanting of me being a witch and that I should be killed. The noise became louder, and more people gathered around me. I could feel the spiritual energy and I could see the auras all around me, all the while my eyes were closed.

Some of the chanting stopped and there were screams. Some battle cries, some weapons making clanking noises to each other as they hit one weapon after another. I heard and felt magic being casted around me.

Such useless violence.

I soon felt the bottom part of my body getting ridiculously hot. I didn't want to look, but my curiosity won over me every single time.

I opened my eyes in regret and looked down at my feet. There was fire that was slowly creeping upwards.

"Miss Kinomoto!" One civilian called out, "Hold on, okay!"

"Please hold on, priestess! Don't give up!" said another.

The chanting stopped, and before I knew it, Tomo's goons were battling the civilians. I looked up at the scene, and each second I witnessed this violence I felt my heart break more and more.

I was tired of people fighting for me and fighting over me.

"This is the consequence of your actions." Tomo told me as he stood beside me.

"All this violence, all this fire, and your death… like I said, it could all easily be avoided."

I didn't respond. I stayed inanimate and closed my eyes again. I had no more energy to fight back and talk back. I did not want to see the fighting, I did not want more people to suffer.

"You!"

My heart fluttered. That voice!

I opened my eyes as I tried to move my head up to see the source of the voice.

As more of Tomo's temple goons came in like a swarm of ants, more armed civilians appeared to balance it out.

"Syaoran!" I yelled.

"Sakura!" Syaoran's eyes widened.

"What do we have here?" Tomo stepped in front to face Syaoran and Yamato. "Little brother, I didn't know you'd go off and betray your own family."

"Any opportunity I can take to finally take my hatred on you." Yamato smirked. He moved his bangs out of his face to reveal his green eyes. They were filled with contempt, contempt towards Tomo.

"You little runt? You couldn't hurt me even if you tried." Tomo shoved his brother out of the way. Yamato stood his ground, though. He even punched Tomo, in which Tomo winced.

"Guards! Get them!"

A barrage of guards seemed to swarm from the temple once more; a wave that seemed like it never ended. I was aware of how many people lived in the temple; but I didn't know it was that many. Then I realized it wasn't just temple people fighting, but people of the island who supported Tomo.

The air was filling up with an overwhelming scent of fire, smoke and blood, and people were hurting each other with no good purpose. It was sickening.

Tomo smiled in satisfaction as he walked towards the town. It seemed that he was going to cast his own magic.

Syaoran stepped in front of Tomo, looking at him square in the eyes.

"You're a bastard." Syaoran said, "A definition of a coward. Sending off people to fight your own useless battles, and for what?"

"That's none of your concern." Tomo threw a punch at Syaoran's face. "Move out of the way, you're interfering in my business."

Syaoran managed to nimbly dodge the punch and then I remembered quickly that he pointed his sword towards me. I closed my eyes as I felt my body being pulled down to the ground by the force of gravity and my body almost falling into the small pit of flames, but Syaoran caught me just in time; but unfortunately, scalding himself in the fire in the process.

"You're alright... I'm glad." Syaoran said. "Get away from here… we'll handle the rest."

"No." I said. "You're burned!" I put my hands on his wound. "I don't have much energy left… but I'm going to give you what I can." My hands started to glow as a result of energy transfer going into Syaoran's body. The burn wound that was there had quickly dissipated.

"Where do you think you're going?" I felt a hand touch my arm, pulling me away from Syaoran. That voice belonged to no other person than Tomo, _my dear husband_.

"Let go of her." Syaoran said angrily as he got up. Quickly, he pushed me out of the way, not too much as to hurt me, but to get me away from Tomo. Syaoran and Tomo were now engaged in a heated fight using their fists, magic and weapons. I could feel Syaoran was preoccupied as well, as he was worrying for the health and safety of not just myself, but the whole island as a whole. His eyes were not completely focused on Tomo, but his fellow fighters who were also fighting Tomo's goons and the others trying to save what was left of Ling Shi.

All the while, my dreams were correct and accurate. Not in every aspect, but enough. I dreamt this would happen, but I hadn't dreamt that I'd be saved. I dreamt I'd die, but I didn't dream up to this point. I didn't have my dreams anymore to rely on and to guide me, this time it was my own path and choice I had to make. I had no one else to advise me on my future decisions now.

I couldn't stand the fighting. The unnecessary burning of the town – the people hurting, Syaoran risking his life to fight Tomo, it was enough. I had enough. I clutched my fists and closed my eyes. I felt a strong surge of energy flow through me and a warm sensation sending tingles all over my body. I thought I had lost my energy prior to all this, but I felt it.

I raised my arms and kept my eyes closed and my mind focused. I did not think about Syaoran or Tomo, or the island burning down to the ground. Instead I focused on trying to channel energy so I could do something to solve this. Finally, as I kept my composure, the surge of magical energy went through my arms all at once and then I rushed that energy out into the open. I knew I had no cards, but to my surprise, I felt the whole island get surrounded by a gust of strong winds, followed by water that seemed to materialize out of nowhere. I knew I had just casted the water and wind spell. The two spells had combined together to extinguish the fire. I watched as the flames ultimately met their demise.

I fell on the ground, exhausted. Everyone else was surprised at the sudden force of wind and water.

"Sakura!" Syaoran yelled.

Tomo found a way to attack Syaoran, by using Syaoran's vulnerability. He smacked the sword out of Syaoran's hand.

"You're powerless without that sword." Tomo smirked as he pinned Syaoran to the ground.

I've only solved one problem. Now that there was no fire to fight, the other civilians had a perfect opportunity to gather their things, hide, and the ones who could fight went off to fight Tomo's goons. It was at this point that Tomo could no longer get more people to attack, as he had exhausted all of the soldiers available. The fight was far from over, that's for sure.

"Syaoran, please don't worry about me." I told him.

"I'll take it from here, Syaoran." Yamato said as he ran up to me. He took my tired body and lifted me up.

"Where are you taking her?" Syaoran said as he tried to get his sword back and at the same time, trying to dodge Tomo's attacks. I was surprised Tomo wasn't even using magic, but only physical force. I knew Tomo was a formidable magician, so why wasn't he using any?

"Just away from here." Yamato said sternly, "Tomo's trying to use Sakura as a tool to make you weak. You need to focus on the task at hand."

Syaoran looked at Yamato suspiciously, "Don't do anything stupid." Syaoran ducked and snatched his sword back from the ground. Now, 2 more guards in addition to Tomo were attacking Syaoran.

"I promise." Yamato replied.

"3 against one, no fair!" I yelled.

"I'll help him out, alright?" Yamato said calmly. "I've been waiting for this day."

"What day?" I blinked.

"That Tomo finally dies." Yamato said darkly.

I didn't want death to be the option, but the more I thought about it the more it couldn't be helped. Tomo in prison would be like putting a tiger in a small cage. It'll escape and will cause more havoc than needed.

"Well, well, little brother. I always knew you were going to do this to us." Haku appeared in front of us.

"Shit." Yamato said as he put me down. "Don't worry about it, I got this, alright?"

I nodded and hid behind some columns so Haku couldn't see me, but he already had his eye on me. However his main focus was on Yamato.

"I've been waiting for this." Yamato smirked as he cracked his knuckles.

"Oh?" Haku grinned. "What were you waiting for? This worthless island to burn into oblivion? Or the fact that the Kinomoto family line will be no more?"

Yamato rolled his eyes, "More like you and Tomo will be permanently retired, if you know what I mean." Yamato took out two knives from his pockets. Even from here, they looked awfully sharp. Come to think of it, as I took a closer look, it resembled the knives that were present when my house burned down. The only difference was the colour of the jewels on the knife's hilt, but the Eda emblem was there undoubtedly, I knew it well enough as the image was burned in my mind.

Yamato took small steps towards Haku, sending off intimidating vibes to Haku. As I watched from here, I saw Yamato's kind and gentle eyes flash before me, turning into harsh, violent blood-thirsty eyes. He clutched onto his knives tightly, making sure it was visible to Haku.

"Don't come closer." Haku said as he stepped back. He clutched his whip in his hand.

"What's wrong? You're going to whip me?" Yamato said mockingly. "Don't make me laugh."

"I-I'll cast magic on you!" Haku stuttered.

"Please, you're not fooling anyone." Yamato snarled, "You know just as well as I do that your magic skills couldn't hurt a fly."

Haku raised his arm towards Yamato and attempted to cast a thunder spell. His efforts were apparent as I saw small sparks fly from his hands. He pointed his hand to Yamato, then within a few moments afterwards the thunderbolts shot from his hand and went towards Yamato. Snickering, Yamato simply dodged the thunderbolts and within a few moments, he lodged the knives right into Haku's chest and then within a few seconds, he quickly pulled them out to reveal blood seething out of the wounds and sending the blood trickling towards the ground.

"You…!" Haku coughed some blood out. He struggled to keep standing, and eventually he fell on the ground where he fell onto his own pool of blood.

I was struck by horror. I was trembling as I watched Yamato mercilessly and almost casually murder his own brother. He did it without remorse or regret, and like Tomo, he had a satisfied look on his face.

"I have been waiting for this, you worthless scum." Yamato put foot on Haku's limp body.

"To be killed by my own brother…" Haku said hoarsely, "You will pay for this."

"Shut up." Yamato stomped on his back.

I saw Haku's eyes turn lifeless soon afterwards. Yamato bent down and closed his brother's eyes shut.

"It could've been different." Yamato said. I didn't know who he was talking to – his brother's corpse or me. Yamato turned his head to take a glimpse at my horrified self.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Sakura." Yamato's violent face became gentle again. It was hard to feel safe despite that, as Yamato's own clothing was covered in traces of blood. I witnessed a murder, a violent one, and a murder committed by Haku's own brother nonetheless.

"Why did you kill him?" I said in tears.

"Why do you cry for him?" Yamato asked, "He tortured you. Look at your wounds and bruises. Please don't tell me that you feel pity towards that despicable excuse of a human life."

I looked at my wounds. Even though they were there I could not notice the pain due to the numbness I felt. Even so, even though I felt no physical pain, I felt an intense emotional pain watching others die, especially at my expense.

I was scared. I took a few steps back. I felt like a helpless deer being hunted down by a tiger.

"I won't hurt you." Yamato said in a gentle voice.

"You had no mercy on your own _brother!_" I cried. "How could you hurt your own blood right in front of me yet still try to convince me that you won't hurt me? You hurt your own… brother."

"Sakura, he wasn't my brother." Yamato said lowly. "I've disassociated myself with that family and the Eda name. It has been my intention to do this as long as I could remember. I knew how my brothers acted, and it was only until now when a revolt started in the island, that I could carry out my plans."

I didn't know what to say, if I ran out by myself, surely then I'd be caught by someone else who had no mercy; and if I ran out by myself, I'm sure eventually I'd be led back to Tomo.

Speaking of Tomo, Syaoran was fighting him as I speak.

"Come on, Priestess." Yamato bowed. "I promised Syaoran that I wouldn't do anything stupid. Stupidity would be hurting you. I know that Syaoran would never forgive me if I hurt someone he cared so deeply about."

I looked down at Haku's lifeless corpse, then back at Yamato. I was hesitant, I truly was. Then again, I don't know what would've happened if I had run away and Yamato had not been with me, perhaps Haku would've done something equally as dangerous.

"…I can't keep running away." I said. "I can't keep running away from my battles."

"This isn't a battle for you to fight, priestess." Yamato urged. "None of this is your fault. It was just bound to happen."

"It's my fault Syaoran got involved in this." I said. "It's my fault that Tomo has gone completely out of line."

"Tomo's soul cannot be saved." Yamato said lowly, "His soul has been eternally damned since I could remember. There is no ounce of goodness in him. I should know, for I am his brother, after all. So please don't blame this whole thing on yourself. You've done nothing but try to fight for your own freedom, which was taken away from you so abruptly in the first place."

"I'm sorry." I said to Yamato. With all the strength I had, I ran as fast as I could back to the battle scene. To Syaoran.

To my surprise Yamato did not bother chasing me. He stood there looking at me with genuine concern, but he did not have the heart to come find me. I didn't care, though, regardless or not if Yamato would have hunted me down, I would've given it my all to go see Syaoran.

I'm coming.

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**Authors Note:**

Sakura's point of view! I know, I know, there is not much Tomo ass-kicking yet. But to compensate I will post the NEXT chapter tomorrow or tonight so you guys can have a sense of relief. It's hard to write Syaoran kicking Tomo's ass when it's in Sakura's point of view, huh? It's difficult for me to write violence and battle scenes, I have not branched out I'm not familiar with action or adventure genre at all (I don't even read those kinds of books, LOL. Oh, shaking my head right now.) If I could draw this all out in webcomic form, I would, but I don't have a tablet so I can't really draw it out, so I am trying my best to describe each scene. u_u Fail on my part, sorry.

I'm happy to be almost done this story... almost... I appreciate all your input for this story, without it, I would've done a lot of things differently. I have conceptualized this story from beginning to end, but the middle parts are so grainy that I had to piece it together myself.


	24. Chapter 24: Now What?

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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**Chapter XXIV: Now what?**

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Tomo was not offensively fighting, but rather, he was playing around with me and trying to dodge my attacks. All this and we winded up away from the town square where all the battling had been taking place. Luckily for our troops against Eda's, ours seemed to be the ones who were victorious. Now that Eda's troops had exhausted their magical energy and with the help of Sakura, they could not use the fire as a means to distract the civilians and the warriors who decided to help us out.

More civilians who could not fight were led back to Eriol's manor. The population around here was dissipating and I am thankful; I did not want any more innocent people to get hurt. It wasn't all over though, there were still dozens of people – civilians and temple soldiers who fought so ardently for the future of the island itself.

"What purpose do you have fighting _me_ anyway?" Tomo said as he dodged my attacks. He raised his arms up and before I could blink, fireballs the size of medium sized rocks came right at me, hitting me on my arms and upper body. Thankfully I was padded on my chest, but to my arms which the skin was exposed, it made me wince.

"That's none of your concern." I replied.

I slashed my way through his petty magic spells. I'm not going to lie and say that I was unharmed, but some of those fireballs did sting. However, it was not just Tomo doing the damage but I was as well. I managed to swing my sword at him and just at the right moment, my blade had glided through his cheek, forming a deep cut on his face.

His blue eyes flashed in anger; yet he laughed and taunted, "Really, is that the best you can do?"

The cut to the face didn't even faze him.

"Shut up!" I yelled as I went back in again and charged at him. For a bulky guy, he seemed to just dance along and dodge my attacks with finesse. I couldn't fault him for that, but I was just as agile as he was.

"Why do you insist on fighting with that stupid toy?" Tomo swiveled in and knocked my sword to the ground. He then charged at me while raising his fists, and through a blue light that glowed through his hands the light emitted icicles, which were coming my way. He smirked as I tried to dodge them all while I was getting my sword. I did not succeed in getting my sword back as I became too distracted with getting back my weapon than trying to dodge his attacks. I fell to the ground feeling the sting of the jabs the icicles had inflicted on my body.

"Syaoran!" I heard Sakura's voice.

"Sakura! What are you doing here? Where's Yamato?" I yelled as I stood up and grabbed my sword. I jerked towards Sakura's direction quickly, but Tomo blocked my path, slightly pushing me to the side.

"You've come back for more, have you?" Tomo said as he walked towards Sakura.

"Don't you dare hurt Sakura!" I said.

Then, from afar, I heard three more voices coming our way.

"Eriol?" Sakura said as she started to run away from her tormentor. Tomo was not running even though Sakura was, instead he just stood there and watched her, with that malicious smile plastered on his face.

"Sakura!" Tomoyo yelled from behind Eriol.

"Tomoyo? What are you doing here?" I yelled. "You're not supposed to be here!"

Eriol's face looked defeated, "You know she doesn't listen." He grumbled.

Sakura and Tomoyo were reunited at last with the two girls running to each other locked in an embrace. Eriol and I ran to shield the two girls from Tomo, who clearly wanted blood, especially Sakura's. It was apparent in his malicious expression; yet for some reason he did not chase after her. He simply just laughed as he looked at me and Eriol.

"So you have the sun staff…" Tomo's blue eyes shifted towards Eriol's hands which were grasping at the sun staff and his expression became even more malevolent.

"So I do." Eriol entertained his statement. He could see Tomo's eyes who longingly stared at the staff.

"Sakura, I knew Syaoran would pull through." Tomoyo rustled through her bag and while doing so, she had a big grin on her face. That grin would've been really great if it weren't for the fact that both girls are in an inappropriate place while there's a battle going on!

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch." Sakura said as she grabbed Tomoyo's free hand. The two ran a moderate distance away from us, but their energies and presence could still be felt by anyone who knew how to sense other bodies within the vicinity.

"Hah! Even _my wife_ thinks you could never win against me." Tomo mocked.

I gritted my teeth together and then I furrowed my brows. I held a tight grasp on my sword as I began to concentrate; I felt it in my hands and body as the energy started to circulate throughout my body and even my sword, which I felt was an extention of myself. As Tomo laughed at both me and Eriol, I raised my sword and with a swift swoop, I sent a powerful surge of thunderbolts crashing onto Tomo's body, ripping the fabric of his beloved robes. Immediately after, that cocky smile of his disappeared in an instant.

"Syaoran…" Eriol whispered right before I slashed at Tomo, "Don't let your anger get the better of you."

It was too late, though. The idiot was already fuming with rage and casting his next attack at both of us. This time it was a barrage of arrows, similar to what Sakura had casted on me many months before when I first started training with her. However, this did not give me the sweet feeling of nostalgia. Eriol and I both ran as fast as our feet could carry us.

"Why the hell aren't you casting your magic?" I asked Eriol who was holding his huge staff in his hand. What was the point in carrying a big fancy magic stick if you weren't even going to use it? I knew very well Eriol was capable of casting spells – after all, he was my teacher; and now that I think about it, it was he who got me into this whole situation of being here on Ling Shi.

"This is _your_ fight. I'm just here to help you." Eriol's eyes flashed. I gave him a sour look as he said that. This wasn't just my fight, but everyone's fight. I had no idea how to be a true hero, but I should damn well try.

"Shield!"

A barrier formed around me and Eriol which ended up deflecting the magic spells The sound of Sakura's voice was resonating within the barrier. Through the barrier, I saw her, raising her left arm towards us and her right arm carrying the Clow book.

"Wasn't that with Tomoyo?" I asked Eriol.

"Was with Tomoyo." Eriol replied.

Putting two and two together, I suppose it made sense. Pregnant Tomoyo coming here to risk her life and her baby's life – it could only be for this reason alone. It was a selfless sacrifice, but a stupid decision. Both girls should run, but both of them stayed stationary for what cause? One of them was pregnant and lacked any fighting ability (except for her wits) and the other was a strong person but she lacked the capacity or energy to do much anymore – in fact, she was just as foolish as Tomoyo for casting a spell when she was already down.

Seeing my facial reaction Eriol reassured me that it was Tomoyo's decision and that she literally fought with him to go and see Sakura and hand over the Clow book, even though, to my understanding, Sakura had ordered Tomoyo to keep the book safe and away from Tomo Eda, but now not only was Sakura and Tomoyo put into an unsafe situation, but the bloody Clow book as well.

"Sakura! Run!" I yelled as I noticed Tomo abruptly stopping to cast his magic. He knew, the moment there was a barrier and the moment he locked eyes with Sakura and the Clow book that we were no longer his targets; but they were his new prey.

Sakura knew better, though. After casting her shield spell on Eriol and me, Sakura grabbed Tomoyo's hand and the two proceeded to run off again. Tomo, even though he was intent on getting the two girls, his arrogance overshadowed his rationality. He liked to look domineering and effortless, thus he tried to demonstrate that by walking slowly and with his constant holier-than-thou expression. He did not make an effort to run, but rather, to intimidate the two girls.

Eriol and I ran towards the two girls but from the opposite direction, and in doing so, we ended up breaking free from the barrier. I was tired of Sakura trying to protect us – it was time we protected her.

From the corner of my eye I saw a shadow – a figure; running so fast that it appeared to be a shadow. I run pretty fast, but this person would make me look like I was walking if I were running at my full speed.

It didn't matter right now, though, we had to catch up to the girls. The girls got a good distance away from Tomo and as did we. We saw Sakura and Tomoyo go into the outskirts of the town now, into the forest, where there a myriad of trees. They went as far as they could so Tomo would not catch them.

"Are you okay?" I said to Sakura and Tomoyo while I tried to catch my breath from all the running we did.

I looked at Eriol who seemed to be in good health. I guess even after all that training I'm still not up to par in fitness.

Tomoyo nodded, "I'm alright… thanks to Sakura."

"You shouldn't be running around, Tomoyo." I told her. I was genuinely concerned with her and her child. My feelings still stand: a pregnant woman should not be out running around a burning (or once burning) town where there's smoke, violence, and massive amounts of physical excursion. Tomoyo could be scary, but Eriol's a whipped man.

Now that we had a small moment of being stationary and we were not all running away, I was finally able to relax a bit – just a little bit.

"I agree with Syaoran, Tomoyo." Sakura spoke softly to her best friend. Sakura was slowly rubbing Tomoyo's shoulders to give her a sense of relief and calmness.

Tomoyo replied, "I needed to get that Clow book to you… I knew you needed it some how. Besides, your brother wanted to go off and give it to you himself… but I couldn't do that, after all the work you put into protecting your brother and everyone else, I couldn't let Touya just run off and get himself killed… especially when he's still in recovery from that hex."

Sakura nodded slowly before looking over to me with an apologetic expression.

Eriol said grimly, "We may be able to buy time here for now, but eventually he'll find us. He'll want Sakura and that book."

"Tomoyo, please go back." Sakura pleaded.

"My job is done." Tomoyo smiled at us, "I got you the Clow book, and that's all I wanted to see – you're safe now, I knew Syaoran would pull through." Tomoyo's eyes moved to my direction in which afterwards she shot me a light smile.

"Wait, what?" I said. "Sakura, aren't you going to go off with Tomoyo?"

"Of course not." Sakura replied seriously, "Do you think I'm going to let you die for me? If we're here, we're in this together."

"I know you don't like fighting." I protested, "I also don't want to see you hurt…"

"Stop worrying about me." Sakura said, "I may not be able to fight, but I could at least support you and heal you."

"How is Tomoyo going to get back by herself?" I asked.

"I'll handle that." Eriol smiled, "After all, I've got most of the people back at my manor… it's just the other soldiers fighting the temple soldiers. It's been handled, hasn't it? The fire's been extinguished and now all there needs to be is to fight it out – and get rid of Eda."

"Sakura is in your hands now." Tomoyo said, "Please protect her."

"I can take care of myself." Sakura pouted, "More like Syaoran needs to watch himself…"

"Before I leave, Sakura…" Eriol approached Sakura more closely. He dug into the pockets of his robes before he got out a small pink key chain looking thing with a star on it.

"What is that?" Sakura blinked, eyeing the cute little trinket Eriol was holding.

"This is a present from Clow… no, your father… it's a present from your father." Eriol replied. He took Sakura's hand and opened it, dropping the little thing into the palm of her hand.

Sakura stared at the trinket, and like all of us, we were all confused as to what it was.

"…You knew my father?" Sakura asked.

"You can say that." Eriol replied. "We don't have time to talk about this, though… we need to hurry and exterminate that Tomo Eda once and for all."

"Isn't there a peaceful way to resolve this?" Sakura asked. "W… without killing?"

"You know, Sakura, I don't want to kill anyone as much as you do, but with a person like that, there's no choice. How could you possibly spare someone's life … especially if that someone has been torturing you non-stop?" I said bitterly. I could not fathom why Sakura would even want to spare his life. Sometimes Sakura was just overwhelmingly good and sweet, which also was her weakness.

"What is it anyway?" I asked.

"It may not look like much, but it's a staff." Eriol replied. "The star staff, it was meant to be given to Sakura when she was much older, but since desperate times call for desperate measures… it's better now than later – or even never."

"A staff?" Sakura held up the key as she watched it dangle back and forth like a pendulum.

"If you concentrate hard enough and recite the ancient sayings like you do with your Clow book, you can make it grow longer and it can be used to amplify your magic." Eriol said.

"I see." Sakura hung the key around her neck like a necklace.

"Before I go…" Eriol took Sakura's hands again and held them tightly into his. He closed his eyes, which caused a huge magic circle again to appear underneath them. He said a few words I could not understand, but those words caused both people to glow. Sakura's eyes were wide open, as she was as confused as all of us as to what was actually going on. Eventually, the chanting and the glowing stopped and Eriol let go of Sakura.

"I gave you some of my magical energy." Eriol said, "You'll need it."

"I suppose then you and Syaoran are completely on your own." Tomoyo said. "Good luck, Sakura… and Syaoran. Please come back alive."

Sakura and I both nodded in unison before the couple walked off towards the manor, leaving Sakura and me out here alone in the forest. It was silent at first, Sakura did not really look at me. Perhaps her mind was preoccupied and somewhere else, I couldn't blame her either, but now was not the time to dawdle in the forest and gawk at the scenery. We had to leave, now, because her sociopath of a husband could come down any minute and capture both of us; or worse, kill one of us—no, kill Sakura.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"We should go." I said softly to Sakura.

"…Alright." Sakura was tense, I could feel it in her aura. I just knew – it was different from in the dream realm or from when she lived with us. It was as if something was bothering her.

We walked throughout the forest, trying not to be seen by other people. We had to find a way to attack Tomo without getting both of us screwed over. Even then, Sakura did not utter a word. Her eyes seemed distant, she often spaced out and she had no smile on her face. I mean, I guess no one should smile at what's happening here – but it just didn't feel like Sakura to me, standing here beside me. She was just… cold… not in a way that she was rude or abrasive, but she wasn't all there.

"Is there anything wrong? Besides… you know, the whole island going into a revolt and stuff." I tried to break the ice between us.

"Mmm…" Sakura didn't say anything more. Her eyes were fixated to the sky above us.

"It's just I've never experienced this before." Sakura finally said. "You know, violence… and all these things. Everything up until now seemed just like a long, dragged out dream—being tormented by Tomo, running away, meeting you…"

"But?" I asked.

"Then I realized that everything is definitely real. Everyone's suffering, everyone's loss… and death. It's inevitable, isn't it?" She turned her head to look at me. Her eyes were so lost and so questioning.

"Death is inevitable." I replied. "We can never truly escape death, but we can prolong our lives as much as possible. This is why the people are fighting – for their freedom, you know?"

"I know." Sakura replied, "I fear if Tomo got his way here… well… it'd all be in vain, wouldn't it?"

I nodded.

"That's why I gave the book to Tomoyo." Sakura said.

I knew why Tomo wanted it – I saw it in my dream, and my mother told me in my dreams. I knew the price of that book and it was priceless. If it got into his hands, this place would be doomed. So I knew that I not only had to protect Sakura, but the book as well. Everything was weighed with such heavy responsibilities.

"I promise I won't let him get anywhere near your book, and you, alright?" I put my hand on Sakura's shoulder.

We were heading back to where we came from, but in a different direction. Sakura said that Tomo was probably trying to look for us and knowing him, she said, that he tried to follow us somehow. We were probably far from him – so going back to where we had come from was the best bet to try and devise a plan on how to attack him without him knowing.

As we got closer to civilization and actual buildings, there was still a lot of commotion. Even though most people were back in the manor, many were still fighting – and we were winning. Hui's troops prevailed.

As expected, Tomo wasn't anywhere near where Sakura and I ended up.

"Syaoran!" Hui spotted Sakura and I. Everything seemed to go smoothly and according to plan, this side of the island was under control, from what I saw anyway.

"Hui, what's the situation?" I asked.

"We've got it all handled here." Hui saluted.

"Where's Tomo Eda?" Sakura asked.

"Your holiness!" Hui bowed his head down in Sakura's presence. Afterwards he replied, "I haven't seen him since he tied you down and tried to burn you, Miss Kinomoto…"

"Tomo Eda, huh?" Another soldier overheard our conversation.

"Yeah, Sheng, have you seen Tomo Eda?" Hui asked.

"I saw a man with light brown hair running towards the direction where I last saw Tomo Eda, and that's where Syaoran and Miss Kinomoto were last spotted." Sheng replied.

"…Yamato." I said under my breath. Sakura seemed to be in sync with my thoughts.

"Thank you." I said to Hui.

"Be careful, Syaoran." Hui said lowly, "You have Miss Kinomoto at your side… you can't be foolish."

"I knew that." I rolled my eyes.

"We'll try to send more men towards your direction. We've taken care of that area – but you never know with those temple people."

"Thank you." Sakura smiled at Hui, "You are most kind for caring about my well-being."

"No problem, your holiness, please be safe." Hui bowed again and left to supervise the others who were fighting.

Sakura took my hand after Hui left. Although she wasn't 100% there like she usually was; she gave me a smile anyway. It came to me as a surprise, as when she did do that, my body jolted upwards in energy and in posture. Of course, even until now, Sakura was able to cast her spell on me that made my body react funny and my face turn several shades of red.

"Syaoran… I saw Yamato kill his brother." She said quietly as we walked towards the direction Tomo and Yamato were said to be.

"…He killed his brother?" I said in confusion. It did not surprise me because I saw him mercilessly kill one of the temple people, but I did not imagine him to be the type to kill his own brother.

"Yeah. When Yamato was taking me to a safe place, he told me to hide while Haku Eda was coming. He had spotted me and Yamato walking, and Haku wanted to take me away… but… then I saw it." Sakura's body was lightly trembling, I could feel the vibrations through her hands. Her palms were getting slightly clammy as well. Thinking about this was bringing her lots of discomfort, so I squeezed her hand to let her know I was here and I was listening.

She looked at me and I gave her a nod to keep going, so she did, "He took two knives and in an instant, he … he stabbed him. He killed him. It all came so fast, and Yamato's face was so sinister and violent… and after that, when he was done, he just looked like himself. Like nothing had happened."

"He was trying to protect you." I told her. "What if he didn't kill Haku Eda? Haku would've gone for you."

"I know… but … it's just very painful to see." Sakura said. "I know that I don't want to see anyone die, but I guess there's no choice, is there?"

"With someone who can use magic and manipulation like that – you know your husband the best, if you think about it… he would easily breach prison."

"I know… I know what Tomo did was unforgiveable. He killed my father. He made my brother sick... yet… to kill him? Aren't we as bad as he was?"

"Like I said. Sometimes there's no choice." I told her as I looked into her troubled green eyes, "You're too much of a good person… just let us handle this, alright?"

Sakura nodded, "I'm just sorry that you all have to be in the position to kill anyone."

I gave her a reassuring smile to let her know it was okay. Even though the island centre was destroyed and everyone was fighting – I just had her in the centre of my world right now. I loved her so much that nothing else mattered; all that mattered was to avenge her and keep her safe. Killing Tomo Eda was the only solution to this. Not only will Sakura benefit, but everyone else.

"I see them." Sakura whispered to me.

Sure enough, from this distance, we saw both brothers standing metres away from each other, both looking at each other with such an intense, zealous and sinister expressions. They were both hungry for blood – and this wasn't just a battle of protecting Sakura, but a battle between brothers and pride.

"Shouldn't we go out there and help him?" Sakura asked me.

"Let's go in closer to listen." I whispered back to Sakura.

It was funny because both brothers did have their weapons out – Tomo did not use any weapons against me, but now he had a long sword, with the same hilt I saw with the note on the tree near Sakura's old burnt house. Yamato had a similar hilt, but it was different coloured gemstones on the hilt itself but they were two really sharp knives. They both stood there, not making a move, but their faces said it all.

They were talking to each other but I couldn't hear what they had to say. So I took the lead while holding Sakura's hand, inching slowly and stealthily towards the scene.

"So, it all comes to this, huh?" Tomo grinned at Yamato.

Yamato threw Haku's whip on the ground, giving Tomo a satisfied smirk. "Don't underestimate me."

Tomo did not look phased, but rather, he just laughed. "Comparing me and Haku is laughable. He was merely a pawn in my whole plan. He was a fool."

"What do you even plan on doing with this island, anyway?" Yamato asked as he swung his knives back and forth in his hand.

"Well, since you're going to die anyway I might as well let you know. Take it as your last wish before you die." Tomo arrogantly replied, "Anyway… I'm going to kill each and every last Kinomoto out there… but before I do, I need those Clow artefacts."

"What does that benefit you?" Yamato caught a glimpse of Sakura, and me but he looked straight back at his brother, humouring him.

"Well. This island will be ruled with a definite direction… just imagine, no more wishy-washy supreme priests… in fact, there won't be any priesthoods at all. It'll be a whole new era of a ruler – no priests, no senates… just absolute power."

"It doesn't explain the artefacts." Yamato replied.

"With all 4 Clow artefacts, the island will finally be unlocked from it's position and we can uncover the secrets and powers that lay in this island… we can be powerful! This island can be powerful! We can expand our legacy… why an island when we can rule vast lands? Think about it, little brother. I don't need to kill you at all… we can both rule. With my intelligence and your abilities, the Eda name will be redeemed and everyone will fear us!"

"Sounds promising." Yamato smirked. He quickly shot a glance and Sakura and I again. I felt apprehensive and uneasy as he did that – what was he doing and why wasn't he attacking Tomo? I felt Sakura squeezing my hand tighter as she observed Yamato and Tomo talking.

"We should cease this fighting now and instead, you can help me. I know that you know where Sakura is and where the artefacts are… you can redeem yourself, show your loyalty to your family. I can forgive all the sins and backstabbing you have committed over the past few days. After all, _I am your brother_."

Yamato looked like he was in a deep state of thought. It looked as if though he were convinced over the whole thing. He took one last look at me and Sakura before speaking to Tomo.

"Alright, I'll cooperate with you." Yamato said calmly.

Sakura's body and mine tensed up. We both wanted to run, but our bodies were paralysed with shock and fear.

"In fact, I spot the Kinomoto right there." Yamato pointed to our direction.

Sakura's eyes widened at the betrayal, as did mine. I felt my blood boil in anger – what the heck? I knew I couldn't trust that guy!

Tomo turned around and spotted us. Sakura's facial expression was like a deer blinded by light. I tried to grab Sakura's hand and make a run for it, but she wouldn't move. She was just trembling and crying. I tried to lift her up, but she wouldn't let me. It's as if she were prepared to die then and there.

Tomo walked slowly towards us with his malevolent grin again, making each step intimidating and scary – especially for Sakura. Each step he made progressively sounded louder and louder; yet Sakura wouldn't move from her spot.

"We've got to get out of here, Sakura." I said.

Then, I saw Yamato slowly creep up from behind Tomo that even Tomo couldn't hear the footsteps. Within moments, I saw his arms move upwards, pointing his daggers to Tomo's back. In an instant, the daggers went from up in the air and into the back of his brother's back. Tomo let out a bloodcurdling scream as the daggers penetrated his skin.

"You bastard!" Tomo screamed as he frantically swung his sword to Yamato. Yamato dodged the swords and then he turned his head to me, trying to signal something to me by nodding.

Sakura's eyes widened as she gasped at the act of violence committed before her.

"He had us fooled." I sighed in relief and afterwards I let go of Sakura's hand. "Stay here, alright?"

"…O..ok." Sakura meekly said.

As I started running towards Tomo's direction, I took out one of my spell scrolls and concentrated enough not to think about anything else – except achieving a perfect calm state of mind. I did not need to scream out any spell like Sakura usually did, but I channeled all my energy into the piece of magical paper. When my mind was focused enough, I felt the fire coursing through the paper, emitting its energy. I opened my eyes and flung the scroll at Tomo, afterwards in which it emitted a strong fire, causing some of Tomo's robes to be set into flames.

"You bastard." Tomo choked. He did not have his eyes set on me, but rather, his double-crossing brother. Yamato stood there in delight as he quickly removed both the knives from his brother. Tomo started to cough out some blood as the spot Yamato had inflicted damage upon was the back area of his lungs.

I stood beside Yamato, in which Yamato said happily, "I would never betray you or Sakura like that." He said loud enough so I could hear, but not so Tomo could hear.

"I almost believed that you would do that." I replied as I got into a battle stance, preparing myself for anything that could possibly happen.

"I'm not done yet…" Tomo said in a raspy voice. He clutched onto his chest even though his wounds were on his back side. I noticed his hands started glowing.

"He's healing himself." Yamato said as he wiped the blood off his knives with his shirt. He still kept his eyes on his wounded brother.

As Tomo began to heal himself he slowly walked towards Sakura's direction and deliberately avoided us. Even though he was slightly wounded, he still healed himself enough to prevent further bleeding. He menacingly walked towards a shaken Sakura, taking more hurried steps than he previously had done.

"Sakura, run!" I yelled loud enough so she could hear. Still, no budge from her. She was fear-struck and traumatized from the whole scene. I started to run towards her, trying to avoid coming into contact with Tomo.

However, Tomo seemed to sharply appear right in front of me within a blink of my eye. His expression was less arrogant and it appeared to be anger that had been painted upon his face. With both of his hands, he formed an orb which radiated so much magical energy. It was not made of flames or any element I knew, but if I looked closely it seemed to bend time itself – there was a strong gravitational force that was being emitted through the ball. Without any hesitation, he flung the ball at me.

It was possibly quite the most painful thing I have ever had the misfortune to experience. I let out a loud scream – louder than any noise I have ever emitted in my life. It felt like my body was being torn into two – the force of gravity itself ripping the entire fabric of my being. I flew up into the air and onto the ground, where I felt my bones crack from the impact.

Afterwards, Sakura let out a scream, "SYAORAN!" Her fear-induced paralysis was soon broken. She broke out of her frozen state and then she hastily came to my aid. My body felt broken and extremely damaged – I attempted to stand up, but the pain was just too unbearable.

"You should've known better than to attack me, boy." Tomo's mental state was cracking and deteriorating; it became extremely apparent in his face and his voice. He was slowly making the complete descent to pure madness. He began to laugh and laugh, and at this point, not even caring if Sakura had come to my aid. He returned back to his arrogant state, walking slowly towards us.

"Don't move." Sakura whispered as she put her hands on my body. She closed her eyes as she tried to heal me. The warmth of her hands and her energy started to flow through mine. Though that even wasn't enough to remedy the excruciating pain. My bones felt broken and even though I wasn't bleeding – I felt like I was bleeding a hell of a whole lot.

"What was that spell?" I questioned weakly. I have never encountered or even learned that spell. I knew better not to ask Sakura about anything while she was using magic – but I needed to know what it was.

Sakura opened her eyes and removed her hands from my body. Slowly she answered my question, "It's dark magic."

"Dark magic?"

"It's forbidden magic. It's never been taught to us formally – and last thing I knew, it was also banned from the temple archives…"

"Then how?"

"I don't know." Sakura replied. "Are you alright, though?"

"It hurts." I said as I tried to get up, but to no avail. The pain's intensity had decreased quite a bit but it still hurt to even move. I closed my eyes, trying to think of something. I felt like I failed. I was laying here on the dirty cobblestoned ground while the perpetrator was inching closer and closer towards us. If I was going to die here, it was at least going to be seeing Sakura one last time.

Sakura attempted to lift my body up. It was a difficult feat – she was so petite and fragile, and trying to lift up someone who was physically bigger than her wasn't easy. She could've used the power spell but she wasn't thinking of that.

"Please stop." I told her as I saw Tomo approaching even closer and closer from behind her.

"I can't let you die." Sakura's eyes started to well up. "If you die, I die with you, Syaoran. That's a promise."

"How touching." Tomo said from behind us. "I can't let my little Saku die just yet, though."

I felt my body abruptly hit the ground as Sakura's hold on me was let go. I cringed at the pain that had surged through my body.

Tomo had his grip around Sakura's waist.

"Let go!" Sakura cried out.

"I can't kill you, my sweetheart." He breathed on her neck, "We still have much more to discuss… for example, your Clow artefacts…" He eyed the necklace dangling from her neck.

"Oh… what's this? A pink little star key necklace? Sounds oddly familiar…" He put his fingers on her collarbone. He took his index finger and slid it up and down her chest, before finally fidgeting with the pendant.

"Don't touch that." Sakura put her hand on Tomo's hand. She tried to get him to let go, but it was of no success.

Tomo took his other arm and dug down to Sakura's bag which she always kept hanging across her body. Like a child in a candy store, his eyes lit up as he came into contact with the Clow book.

"I knew killing you would be detrimental." He said with a crooked expression, "Otherwise I would never come into contact with such _two_ important Clow artefacts… Now why don't you be a good girl and tell me about the other two?"

"Never!" Sakura screamed. She struggled to break free from his grasp, but it was no use. She was trapped and I was powerless to do anything.

Where was Yamato? I thought. I couldn't see him anywhere – if he could just help us out, or get someone to help us out.

No one was around, eerily enough. Even though Sakura made so much noise through her screams and efforts to break free, no one had ever come to this area to see what was going on and to come to our aid. Even Yamato was missing.

"Screaming won't do you any good." Tomo said with a ominous tone. "No one's here to help you, not even your little boyfriend there."

Tomo took a pause, "He's finished." Afterwards his eyes flashed as he fed off mine and Sakura's reactions.

I tried to fight my way to get up. Each attempted effort was more and more painful, but I managed to get my upper body up. Slowly, I tried to pull the rest of my body upwards. I never thought that I would have to fight to stand up, but I did. My body was slumped to one side, but I managed to get my two feet up on the ground. I clutched onto my sword with one hand, and my other hand applying some pressure on my abdomen on the other.

"Syaoran, please…" Sakura said in tears.

"Sakura…" I said as I tried to keep my composure. It hurt my pride to be in this condition but I couldn't back down without truly fighting.

"You don't learn, do you?" Tomo asked in a patronizing tone, "If you're not going to speak up, my little girl, your boyfriend here will just be like your father. Remember what I did to your father? He's no longer here."

I clenched my fists in frustration. As much as I tried to attack him, my body would not comply. Tomo laughed at my failed attempt to hurt him.

Tomo still had his hold on Sakura with his one arm, and in the other, he was preparing to launch another attack on me. Again, he was summoning that same dark orb he had attacked me with earlier.

"Say goodbye to your boyfriend!" Tomo laughed maniacally as he launched the orb straight at me.

I attempted to shield myself with the shield spell Sakura had taught me. I braced myself for the upcoming attack and used whatever strength left I had to defend myself.

"I said, stop!" Sakura screamed. With a sudden burst of power, she shoved Tomo away from her. Sakura's green eyes flashed and she clutched onto her necklace. A sudden burst of light cascaded through the vicinity, encapsulating everything within the light. A huge magical circle appeared from underneath Sakura and then a barrier formed around me just as the orb was about to strike my abdomen again. The orb dissipated within contact of Sakura's protective barrier, which caused a panic in Tomo. He turned to Sakura with an unamused look.

"You bitch." He growled.

Then, I felt another person creep up from behind me. Yamato stood behind me with his hands on my shoulders.

"Are you alright?" He asked gently.

"Where the hell were you?" I asked.

"I couldn't move." Yamato replied, "I felt a shadow pushing me down to the ground… but then this light appeared and I could move again."

"It's because of that dark magic Tomo used on you, Yamato." Sakura's voice rose, "When he struck Syaoran with that dark orb, he also caused some abnormalities within the area."

"So, you found out." Tomo said as he started to clap. "I knew you were a smart one, my little Saku."

"Don't call me that." Sakura said angrily, "I'm tired of you trying to hurt the people I love. I don't care if you kill me or hurt me, but stop messing around with the people I care about!"

Sakura ripped the necklace off her neck and then I watched as the necklace became a long pink staff. Sakura's personality and aura did a complete 180 before my very eyes. The meek, timid girl was finally fighting back against her 'dear husband'. I smiled in response.

Sakura raised her arm up with the staff, it was then I noticed the branches of the trees started to move quickly. They darted towards Tomo before he could go and dodge them. It was inevitable – soon Tomo's body became entangled with the trees branches which seemed to curl up on his body and trap him. Now he was the one who was tied up – it was like a mirrored situation, between him and Sakura.

She slowly walked up to him with that power-stricken look. Her gentleness was still there, but you could tell she was not willing to tolerate any more of Tomo's stupidities.

"I tried to find the good in you." Sakura said softly as Tomo was struggling to break loose. Even his own magic couldn't break him free from Sakura's spell – but he wasn't the type to be defeated. It was pathetic trying to see him break free.

Yamato and I watched from a distance. However I was confident if Tomo tried to do anything stupid, Sakura would defend herself as she was a talented magician – and even though I was down, I could still try to defend Sakura; and if not me, Yamato would as well. He's proven enough that he was on our side.

"I feel sorry for you." Sakura said, "I don't know why you're so bent on being so bad…"

"I don't need you to feel sorry for me, Saku." Tomo's blue eyes looked intensely into hers. "As far as I'm concerned, the damage is done here. Even if you do something to me; the people will remember this day. The day you betrayed your own island, you turned against the temple and that your selfishness had driven the island onto what it really is."

"You're wrong, Tomo." Yamato said loudly enough so Tomo could hear.

Yamato tried to support me as we both walked towards Sakura. We stood behind her and now we were face-to-face with the enemy.

"It wasn't Sakura who's going to be remembered as the one who ruined Ling Shi, it's going to be you, Tomo." Yamato said with hatred in his voice, "You singlehandedly caused this. You and all the other screwed up people in the poor excuse of the temple. You're all nothing but hypocrites, as far as I'm concerned."

"I'm not going to die to some peasant boy and my wife." Tomo said, "What can a bunch of branches do anyway?" He mocked.

"Shut up!" With a swoop, I swung wherever I could at this point as I had no energy or focus to attack Tomo with aim. However, my sword skills did not fail me as I struck his face. His once handsome face was now covered in blood, but even so, he smiled in satisfaction and his blue eyes still stood out through the flowing rivers of blood that gushed through his face. He started to laugh and laugh, but none of us found this funny.

"Syaoran…" Sakura noted my rage. However, the damage was done. I fell onto the ground, using my sword as a support.

"Just kill me now." Tomo said, "Everyone from the temple that is fighting for me is dead anyways."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Sakura said, "After all this time, trying to kill me and everyone else around me; you're just going to tell us to _kill you_?"

"As far as I'm concerned, if no one else is on my side and if you're just going to throw me into prison – because I know you, Saku, I know that you have no gall to kill me – I know you're just going to throw me into prison. I'd rather die than live my life knowing I failed."

"Hah, I know that prison isn't your style, Tomo." Yamato rolled his eyes, "I know you'd attempt an escape."

Tomo tried to break free again, in desperation to try and counter attack us, but the wood's grip kept tightening with each failed attempt. Tomo winced in pain as the wood constricted his body.

"I know one thing for sure…" Yamato said quietly, "Everyone from the temple who was ever on the Eda side is dead, now. At least he's being sincere in that aspect."

"Now the Kinomotos will be known as heartless killers – hah! Oh Sakura, the one thing you try to be avoid being – but now your whole family will be known as murders. Ultimate sinners."

Sakura looked conflicted and hurt. You could tell she was suffering inside to keep up with her morals and beliefs. What side was she to choose: the ultimate good of everyone else, or following her beliefs? I hope Sakura went with the former. Even though she was fighting with herself, the hold of the wood on Tomo did not loosen. In fact, they tightened more and more as time went by.

"Don't listen to him, Sakura." I told her reassuringly, "He's just trying to use psychological warfare on you. Don't let him win."

"What does he know? He's just some filthy peasant who couldn't fight back against me. Look at him, crippled and injured." Tomo mocked.

"I'm not the one with the bloody face." I glared at him.

"Just shut up already…" Yamato glared as he took out his two jewel encrusted knives again. He swiftly jabbed them into Tomo's chest, where his heart would be located (anatomically that is) – but we all knew he had no heart. Yamato then withdrew his knives afterwards, making a huge splatter of blood that sprawled on us and on the floor.

"Better to die to my own brother than to my wife and that peasant…" Tomo said as his voice started to weaken.

"Just to make sure… Syaoran, will you do the honours?" Yamato looked at me.

"Do what?" I asked in confusion.

"Off with his head." He smirked.

Even though Tomo had committed many crimes, I could not bear to kill anyone. I just wanted him down. I knew that Yamato had been waiting for this moment to finally put his brother to eternal rest. So I shook my head and nodded to him, "I know you've wanted this for a long time."

Yamato licked his lips. He was in a state of bloodlust. It was almost disturbing but comical at the same time.

He took my sword which I used to support myself with and he walked slowly towards his bleeding, dying brother. Tomo looked at him with defeated eyes.

"I never thought I'd die to you, little brother." Tomo said.

Then, in that instant, Yamato pivoted my sword towards Tomo's neck, and in a few seconds, Tomo Eda was executed and finally dead. Even though Yamato made it seem effortless to just cut someone's head off, I should note that my sword is extremely sharp and that Yamato was a skilled swordsman – and if you pair that with a massive intent and passion to kill, it was a deadly combination.

Tomo's head rolled onto the ground, with his big blue eyes still open and even in death, he still carried that intimidating smile.

"It's over." Yamato calmly said. It was funny in a way, a man who just killed his own brother could say it with such calmness and relaxation. Heck, even Yamato's body was covered in blood and sweat.

Sakura couldn't believe her eyes. Even though the man she hated had just died – the man who singlehandedly tried to ruin her life, she was crying for him and she even got down on her knees and started to pray. She was just too good of a person.

The wood loosened itself and the branches broke off from the trees, causing Tomo's headless body to fall on the ground as well, meeting a similar fate as his head did.

"He's gone…" Sakura sobbed, "He's gone…"

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Yamato said quietly. Sakura did not tense up, but instead she broke down crying in Yamato's arms.

It was difficult for us all. Even though Tomo was dead now, the damage was all around us in the island. It was a big defeat for all of us. The island was in a state of destruction, we had to resort to violence and we all experienced some form of trauma or another. I'm sure even though Yamato looked content, he was probably torn in the inside as well, just as I was. I never wanted to see anyone die and I was fortunate enough to be alongside Yamato who happened to be a fierce and dangerous man – I was lucky enough he was on our side. It wasn't just Yamato, but it was everyone who decided to help our cause that should be credited as well.

Now that it was over, now what?

* * *

**Authors Note:**

I know, I know, I made Syaoran kind of... well, weaker in comparison to Yamato. I perceived Syaoran as a brave, peaceful man... someone kind of like Sakura. He never wanted to kill anyone, but he wanted to help the cause. I felt someone who was more emotionally invested in the villain was more appropriate to slay the villain - that being his younger brother! I had a hard time when planning this before how to write it, I knew I didn't want Syaoran to kill Tomo, but I wanted him to assist in his downfall. Now that it's over the ending will now commence, but within a few chapters.

I know I said that I would update like a week before but I didn't anticipate that I'd run into a lot of problems in real life... for one, my work (and school) is going on strike so there's a lot of stuff there, plus I was swamped with homework (unexpected) and mid terms... then life just got busy but I really tried to write this as best as I could, sorry if you're disappointed, but I'm pretty happy with it. Sakura and Syaoran are both nice, peaceful people... and them killing someone directly would just be wrong in my opinion.

Thank you for supporting me and reading thus far. The completion of the story will be soon. Any questions or concerns I will address them.


	25. Chapter 25: Back to Reality

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

* * *

**Chapter XXV: Back to Reality**

* * *

There was so much damage done, it would take more than a few months to repair what had been damaged. So many peoples homes had been destroyed and so many of the forestry of the island had been burnt down and damaged. The statues that once stood proudly in the town square had been damaged into smithereens. There were weapons strewn all over the place – in fact, this scene had been all too familiar.

I've been here three months since Tomo Eda died. Slowly but surely, the island was progressing even in that short amount of time.

The politics of the island was the first to be reconstructed. It had been so fully damaged that it needed to be demolished. The temple was no longer the head of the island, but rather, they were just a symbol of peace. Of course, the Kinomotos were still the head of the temple despite Tomo Eda saying that everyone would hate the Kinomotos and blame Sakura's family for all the destruction. In fact, it was now more than ever that the citizens of Ling Shi supported Sakura's family. They knew very well of the corruption that had unfolded within the temple, despite the fact that the temple had been trying really hard to keep that knowledge away from the public.

The citizens voted on who should be the new leader of the island. That was what was decided. It was a surprising turn of events who got chosen as the island leader, really. The citizens all came up with candidates, then voted on it, and to my surprise it was neither any temple people (so that includes Yamato) but they wanted someone who was not a temple person, but was someone the islanders could trust.

It was Eriol.

I think we were all surprised, but we were happy too. Even though Eriol got on my nerves, he would make an excellent leader and he would surely point this island in the right direction. The future may looked bleak in the beginning, but now things were starting to pick up. Of course, Eriol still lived in his mansion and still kept himself shrouded in mystery. He never did reveal his house again after the battle, which left people to wonder where his manor was. I still lived there, of course, for now.

Touya Kinomoto, the 'Supreme Priest' no longer wanted any hierarchical ladders within the temple, but rather, he wanted things equal. A priest or priestess would just be that, nothing more or less. However, to be a priest now living in the temple would be now more than ever restricted. It could not be taken lightly anymore; a person now has to go through rough spiritual training and screening to become a priest, to prevent people like the Eda brothers to ever become a priest.

The people who were seen as dangerous were put into prisons in the temple. The former temple people, who had shown their true colours, had been put into the jail cells in their own homes. It was for the best, though. Even though they were imprisoned they still weren't treated like garbage, Sakura made sure of that, she instead tried to point out their sins and hoped that prison would rehabilitate these peoples souls, instead of punishing them to eternal damnation.

The island was slowly being reconstructed. With the unity of the people, things got back to normality. Like I said, however, things weren't completely restored to their former glory.

In other news, Tomoyo had her baby. A healthy little girl who looked a lot like Tomoyo. She had Eriol's eyes but the rest of the features were all Tomoyo, and that's what was the main concern right now. Even though Sakura had duties in the temple now and to her people, she would never hesitate to come to Eriol's manor and help Tomoyo out. Even her older brother did not mind, too. Lately though he's been treating me quite frigidly, even though we all returned in one piece – and that included his little sister.

**xXxXxXx**

"All turned out good in the end." Eriol said proudly as he overlooked the island's main town on his top balcony.

"Yeah." I said.

"Thank you so much for your help." Eriol patted me on the back, "I didn't expect it to turn out this way."

"It was all Yamato's doing, really." I turned to Yamato who was breathing in the breeze.

"It's funny how someone so peaceful looking can turn out to be a menace." Eriol joked. "By judging by his appearance, he seems nothing like his late brother…"

"I suppose I got my family's signature evilness, haven't I?" Yamato smirked. "I did it for the good of the people, I swear!"

We all laughed. Even though it was nothing to laugh at, it was still good to finally enjoy this time of peace. There was no corruption, no Tomo Eda, no worrying about anyone else.

"I can't believe you're getting married today, Eriol." I patted his back. "It's going to be quite a spectacle, wouldn't you say?"

"I was hoping to get married before little Chihiro was born." Eriol sighed, "But I guess there's nothing we can do about it, is there?"

We were all donned in clothing Tomoyo had made for us. It was not traditional temple clothing, but it was simply just suits – very well made suits, I may add. It's nothing like I've ever seen before. Back in Heung Gong, we used traditional costumes as well in marriage ceremonies. However, these embodied formal yet relaxed at the same time. While Yamato and I were wearing black and white suits, Eriol was wearing a navy blue suit with a white cravat. As usual, he looked sophisticated – his new title was the topping of his classy cake.

"We should get going downstairs, shouldn't we?" Yamato asked.

"Why a private wedding, Eriol?" I asked him as we headed down the stairs.

"I've never been one to publically expose all my life in one place." Eriol replied, "I like to add a bit of mystery into my life. Besides, no one will even know I'm getting married except a select few, who is invited to my manor in the first place."

The manor's garden would be the place Tomoyo and Eriol would be having their wedding. Going against temple tradition, the bride and groom were not allowed to see each other before the wedding started.

As we went downstairs there were already guests chattering about and they were going into the garden to sit, where all the chairs had been neatly placed. You could tell Tomoyo had designed and planned the decorations and the wedding itself. There were bits of little details put around here and there and if you knew Tomoyo well enough, you knew it was those little touches that screamed, "Tomoyo Daidouji" all over them. There were flowers decorated all over the house and going into the yard, which I knew was a Sakura contribution, as she had the ability to make flowers appear from nowhere.

"Hey, Hui." I waved to my old comrade.

"Hello, Mr. Syaoran." Hui bowed, "So today's Eriol's big day, isn't it?"

"It sure is." I smiled.

"It's nice to see happy things happen on this island for once." Hui smiled, "I remember my wedding with my wife… this just brings back old memories. How about you, Syaoran? Do you have a beautiful lady waiting back home?"

Eriol started to laugh at his question. Hui was oblivious and I was feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"I don't have a woman back home." I replied.

"Really? I would think someone as handsome as you would already have a wife or a girlfriend or something… not to be a creep or anything." Hui laughed uncomfortably.

"I'm sure he has his eyes set on a special someone…" Yamato said in a sing-song-voice.

I stepped on his foot to shut him up.

Yes, it was true, I did have someone on my mind – her name was Sakura Kinomoto… however, even after all this time, I did not tell her face-to-face or look straight into her eyes that I was in love with her. She had been too busy and she dealt with too much trauma and stress after the past events that I couldn't possibly tell her. I would tell her when the time was right. Sakura treated me as she did before, with such vibrancy and amiability, but you could tell that she was never the same again after what happened.

"I guess I'm going to go out to the yard now. The ceremony is about to begin." Eriol said.

"See you outside." I waved to my old teacher and current friend. Again, it's funny how things turn out.

"Hi, Syaoran." I heard a familiar voice from behind me. Even though I knew it was her, I still jumped out of nervous habit. My heart was pumping blood like mad as she approached me.

"S-Sakura…" I said, flustered. I knew I shouldn't act that way towards her but I couldn't help it. It was nice to see her smiling, however – and she looked especially lovely in her light blue dress that the other women were wearing as well.

"Tomoyo's finally tying the knot, I never thought I'd live to see the day." She joked, but I knew she meant it quite literally.

"It shows how far along we've come." I smiled.

"Yeah. I'm an aunt to little Chihiro!" Sakura squealed.

"Where's that little monster anyway?" I joked.

Sakura pouted, "Don't call her a monster!"

"I'm sorry." I scratched the nape of my neck as the hairs stood up. Sakura was kind of scary when angry, even if it was pretend-angry.

"Anyway, she's with Yukito. He loves children, you know." Sakura said as a-matter-of-factly.

"I can see you do, too." I said. "You know, the way you act around little Chihiro."

"I want one of my own someday." Sakura said dreamily. Then she shook her head, "I first actually have to get married first. My first marriage did not count."

"I'll pretend that wedding never happened."

"Good, me too." Sakura took hold of my arm.

"Come on, let's go… the piano music is playing. That's our cue to go out as well onto the aisle." Sakura whispered.

Going along with the piano music, Sakura and I walked with our arms linked between one another, preceding the bride, Tomoyo. We stood in our assigned spots; I with Eriol and her on the brides side. As all the groomsmen and bridesmaids had all come up here, everyone attentively stood as the bride was walking down the aisle with Sakura's brother, Touya. In a way Touya was like Tomoyo's older brother figure, especially since her own family had died off in an unfortunate turn of events.

Tomoyo looked especially radiant – her wavy locks all neatly tucked into an elegant bun and she wore a huge fairytale gown that was made with probably hundreds of layers of delicate and beautiful fabrics. Tomoyo did not wear a veil, but it wasn't needed anyway. Everyone was in awe at the beauty walking right in front of them all.

Touya would be the priest doing the ceremony. It did not last as long as Sakura's wedding, but this one was shorter because it did not completely adhere to the temples customs. Tomoyo considered herself apathetic to religion, as did Eriol, so they decided upon a private non-religious wedding, even though Touya was a priest himself, it was more of a symbolic thing more than anything else.

During the ceremony I stole a few glances to Sakura. I felt her green eyes linger towards my direction. We both shot each other glances and smiles – we felt in sync with our feelings towards this wedding – we were happy, happy for both of our friends who were tying the knot here.

"Do you take Eriol Hiiragizawa as your husband?" Touya asked with a sincere, genuine smile. He was happy that his cousin would finally be able to be happy even after all this, she would be married to the man she loved.

In tears, Tomoyo nodded. "I do, I do!" She said enthusiastically. It caused some of us to give off a lighthearted laugh.

Sakura was wiping her tears at the scene. The wedding made my heart want to melt. I've never actually witnessed a wedding outside of my country – a real one out of love, so it was nice to see this for the first time.

"Do you take Tomoyo Daidouji as your wife?" Touya looked over to the groom.

"I do." Eriol took Tomoyos hands into his.

"If anyone has any objections to this wedding, speak now or forever hold your peace… or prepare to get pummeled by me." Touya joked.

Yamato looked at the couple with a bittersweet expression. Sakura had told me that Yamato was in love with Tomoyo, which is a big reason why he befriended her and helped us out along the way. He had loved her since their youth – but even though he was kind of sad that she was getting married, he was happy that she was happy. I felt the same way in regards to Sakura. If she was happy, then it didn't matter if she recuperated the feelings.

After that moment of silence, Tomoyo and Eriol finally locked lips. You could hear some people in the audience crying. Sakura was not audibly crying, but you can see her green eyes sparkle with the help of tears glazing in her eyes.

Eriol slipped the wedding band onto Tomoyo's finger and Tomoyo slipped the other wedding band onto Eriols. With this action, the two were finally officially married.

As they walked down the aisle in the opposite direction, people were throwing flower petals, confetti and rice. At the end of the aisle there were two birdcages with doves. Tomoyo and Eriol both stood in front of the birdcages. In unison, they both opened the birdcages, releasing the white birds out into the sky. It was a beautiful day to have this wedding, and it certainly was a beautiful wedding. One day, I would like to have a wedding that would rival theirs.

Afterwards was the wedding reception. It was abrupt if you compared it to my country's customs, but apparently it's how Eriol and Tomoyo wanted it to be. Immediately, guests sat down at the designated dining tables while Nakuru and other people working with Nakuru were serving up the food. Since I was Eriol's best man, we got to sit at the table where Tomoyo and Eriol were sitting at.

"Finally tied the knot." I said to Tomoyo, "Congratulations again, you two."

Tomoyo held Chihiro in her arms, lightly swaying her daughter back and forth as she fed the baby with the bottle. "I couldn't be happier."

"Now when's your turn to get married?" Eriol asked.

I sat there in silence as Sakura looked over to me.

"I'm just kidding with you, Syaoran." Eriol patted my back as I was eating. I ended up choking quite a bit, but I coughed it out.

"Eriol, please." Tomoyo said, "Stop torturing Syaoran."

"Can't help but tease my favourite little student." Eriol smiled.

We ended up talking about different things afterwards. The subject shifted from me to island affairs and future plans. However, the subject flung back to my direction eventually.

"So when are you going home?" Tomoyo asked.

"Oh, I forgot, Syaoran's not from here isn't he?" Yamato blinked.

"No. I'm from a country called Heung Gong." I replied. "As to that, I don't know…"

"Right, the ferry." Tomoyo added.

"Speaking of ferries, I reckon there's one coming soon to Heung Gong from here." Eriol said, "It seems soon is your time to go home."

"Do you know when?" My ears perked in interest.

"I believe I heard the ferry is coming back tomorrow." Eriol sipped his tea.

Sakura looked at me sadly, "Tomorrow?"

My heart dropped. I hadn't really thought about going home – I mean, before, going home was the number one thing I constantly thought about since I hated it here on Ling Shi, but now I actually grew to like it. I experienced so many things – some difficult and bizarre, but there were also good experiences that came out of here too – like meeting my new friends and meeting Sakura.

"I guess I'm finished my training." I said sadly, "I've learned all there is to know about spiritual training, after all, thanks to you and Eriol."

"It's my job." Eriol said.

Sakura didn't say anything but rather she just silently sat there sipping her drink. I could tell that she was unhappy about me leaving – and to be quite frank, I was way unhappier than she could possibly be.

"That sucks, Syaoran." Tomoyo frowned. "I really enjoyed having you here."

"I had to go home eventually, right?" I shrugged. I tried to present myself to be strong, but inside I was torn. I knew I had responsibilities back in Heung Gong. I was the Prince of Heung Gong, and the future King. I could not abandon my responsibility to my country. It just wouldn't be right, no matter how strongly I internally protested.

"Enough sadness." I said, "This is yours and Eriol's wedding, you shouldn't be spending it being sad!"

"…Oh, alright." Tomoyo said. "I'm going to make this the night you're going to remember, Syaoran. We will get you so intoxicated that you won't remember a thing!" She gave me an evil look.

"Uh… alright." I said in a scared tone of voice.

"You're going to _dance_." Eriol said.

"Oh god." I shook my head and put my face into my palm. "Alright, alright. Only because you two are my friends."

Sakura, even though she was laughing and smiling along with the rest of us, I could tell in her eyes that she was not all there and that her eyes did not match the same expression as her lips.

When dinner was done people partied, chattered and started drinking. Everyone was at the dance floor that had been temporarily placed in the yard. With Sakura's glow spell and illusion spell, she had happened to make the place look a lot more magical. The music was provided by some musicians on the island who were happy to provide their services free of charge. Tomoyo did not spend the whole night taking care of the baby – we all took turns taking care of the baby until little Chihiro fell asleep in her room, away from all the noise outside. Despite the promises of getting me intoxicated with alcohol, it didn't really happen. I was far too concerned about the events of tomorrow than to drink and get hung over the next day. I wasn't a kill-joy but I suppose I wasn't all there. Then again I never was much of a partier. It was much more enjoyable sitting at the sidelines watching people make fools of themselves than join the jamboree. Who knew that Eriol was actually a good dancer? Then again he always surprised me.

I wasn't' the only one who was not in the mood to dance. At the other side of the dance floor Sakura was sitting on the garden bench, looking out into the water. She was quiet all night, especially more so when she found out I was leaving for tomorrow.

"Hey." I approached Sakura as I sat down beside her.

"Syaoran!" Sakura was susprised at my sudden appearance. Even in the moonlight, you could see her cheeks flush a light rose colour.

"Why aren't you dancing?" I asked her.

"Oh… I'm not much of a dancer." She laughed lightly, "I have two left feet."

"Do you want to dance?" I extended my hand.

She was hesitant to take my hand, but I tried to make her feel comfortable. So I smiled at her reassuringly, letting it be known that I didn't care if she stepped on my feet.

"Oh, alright." Sakura gave in and took my hand.

The song that was playing was a series of slow songs, meant for couples to dance to. Tomoyo and Eriol started off the dance in the middle of the dance floor, then other couples – both friendly or romantic, were dancing along as well. Even Sakura's brother and Yukito were dancing together, both enraptured in the moment.

Sakura and I began to dance slowly, in which I noticed a few eyes were ogling towards our direction. Tomoyo and Eriol looked happy and amused as they saw me and Sakura dancing. However, Touya looked annoyed that I was dancing with his sister. Like I said, recently, Touya had been more and more impatient with me and I even caught him giving me dirty looks. How peculiar for someone to act that way after I saved his sisters life! Well, helped, but still.

We did not talk while dancing, instead we just kept our eyes on each other. At least I tried to look into Sakura's beautiful green eyes which looked even more captivating in the glow of the moonlight and Sakura's glow spell. She, however, was avoiding my gaze. She wasn't a bad dancer at all, but she was shy and she was trying to keep a distance from me.

I felt happy. This moment signified that we were finally in times of peace. That I was capable of being happy. That this person made me happy.

I had to tell her today. I've never told her in person how I felt – it was better now than never. I was aware of the consequences and confusion I would cause. After all, Sakura and I were separated through more than just distances, but according to my mother, we were separated through time as well. I was in love with someone I could possibly never be with in my own reality where I had come from. Even then, I still loved her, and I still wanted to tell her. If I didn't tell her today, I would regret it. At this point I didn't care if she loved me back – I was just happy to have met her. She really changed my life and by being here, I grew as an individual.

"Sakura, can we talk?" I asked her softly as I whispered in her ear. The song was nearing it's end.

She nodded in response, not uttering a word.

After the song we found a quiet space in Eriol's yard to talk to each other. It was at the bridge that was strewn on top of the water, joining the island where the prayer house was to the mainland of Eriol's yard.

"What is it?" Sakura asked with a small smile.

"Sakura." I took her hands into mine and stared into her eyes. My heart was going into overdrive.

"Syaoran?" She blinked as she alternated her views from my face to our hands joined together.

"I'm glad I met you." I smiled as I let go of her hands.

Sakura looked to the water and for a bit, she stared at our reflections. Then she looked back at me.

"I'm glad I met you too, Syaoran…" She said softly, "Without you here, I don't know where I'd be. I probably wouldn't have the courage to do anything… and we wouldn't be here right now."

"You really made me think. About everything. About me as a person and everything else in the world…" I stroked her cheek and moved her hair out of her face so I could get a clearer view of her beauty.

"I'm glad." She smiled.

"…Sakura, I… I love you." I finally said as I searched for her facial reaction.

She didn't look surprised, but instead she looked quite upset. She turned to the pond and looked down at the water.

"Thank you." Was all Sakura said.

A long silence followed after that. The faint sounds of the wedding reception could be heard from a distance, but this silence between us became more deafening.

I noticed that I heard something drop into the pond. I noticed because I saw the pond make small ripples that came from Sakura's direction. I knew then and there that she was crying. I didn't know what to do – why was she crying? I understood if she didn't like me.

"I'm sorry." I told her. "That's all I wanted to say, Sakura. I'm glad I met you… All I cared about was bettering my training and I didn't care about anyone else but myself… but you helped me see that I could actually come to care other people…. And… that's why I fell in love with you. That's all." I turned away to walk back to the reception. I knew that she wanted to be left alone.

She did not follow after me.

"Syaoran, where's Sakura?" Tomoyo asked as she saw me come back. "I saw you go out with her."

"She's still there." I said sadly.

"Did something happen?" Tomoyo tried to read my face.

"Not… really." I lied.

"Come on, spill it." Tomoyo glared.

"I told Sakura I loved her."

"Finally! Why do you look so glum if you just told Sakura that you loved her? And why is she all the way there?"

"I wish I could answer your question." I sighed. "I left her alone, she seemed that she wanted to be left alone anyway…"

"That's weird." Tomoyo said. "Don't worry about it too much, Sakura's been stressed lately anyway."

"About what?"

"She's still traumatized over Tomo's death." Tomoyo sighed, "Imagine. Even after he tormented her, she still feels so much guilt about it."

"It just shows how much of a good person she is." I closed my eyes. "That's why I love Sakura."

"That's why I love her too." Tomoyo smiled, "It's very out of character for Sakura to act this way… I'm going to have a talk with her later, alright?"

"Don't bother. I've troubled her enough as it is." I said.

"You're leaving tomorrow and you want to resolve this … unresolved?" Tomoyo said.

"I don't need Sakura to love me." I told Tomoyo, "I never wanted that. Of course it would be nice, but I wanted her to know how good of a person she was and that I do love her."

Tomoyo sighed, "Oh you two… and I thought you two would get a happy ending."

"Sometimes it's for the best." I said.

The rest of the night Sakura and I did not speak. She remained as an absentee for the whole reception. I tried to enjoy myself by talking to old comrades and to Eriol, while drinking a little bit at a time. I did not get myself drunk, but I did wonder what was going on in Sakura's head.

At least I got to tell her before I leave for tomorrow. That's all I wanted and that's all there is to it. I knew that we could never pursue a relationship together; it would just be difficult on both of us. We both were important people in two different times and places – a relationship between us would be unrealistic and impossible. I think she knew that, too. I was from Heung Gong and she was from Ling Shi. As much as I would love her to be mine, sometimes even are most fervent desires could not be realized.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Luckily I didn't have many things at Ling Shi. After all, I came here all by an accident anyway.

"You're so stupid, Syaoran." Tomoyo glared, "Of course we're going to see you off. After all, Eriol's going to be accompanying you to your homeland…"

"It won't take long, my dearest, I promise." Eriol said. "After I accompany Syaoran on this voyage, I will be back before you know it."

Tomoyo, Eriol and I were walking to the harbour of the island. It was rare boats and ferries came here, but for once there was one going to Heung Gong! How peculiar indeed. I didn't want to question it anyway. I was going home and that's what I wanted since I came here.

Yet I couldn't help but feel empty as I saw the huge boat floating on top of the water right in front of me. It was real. The moment that I had been anticipating for was finally here. I finally had the opportunity to go home.

A few minutes later, my old friends I made on the island came and went to say blessings and to see me off.

"You have to visit soon, huh?" Hui nudged me. "Ling Shi won't be the same without you, Syaoran."

"Thank you." I nodded.

"Hey, bud." Yamato patted my back. "This isn't goodbye, is it?"

"I'm afraid it is." I frowned.

"Don't forget us." Yamato's childish face went from that to serious. "Remember all the _good_ times we spent together! Even if it was for a short while."

I remembered Yamato decapitating his brothers lifeless corpse. I shuddered at the thought but nodded with a smile. It definitely was a moment to remember.

I spoke to other people, but in the back of my mind, I was waiting for that one person to see me off.

"That's strange. Why isn't Sakura here?" Tomoyo wondered. "She said she'd be here."

"It's alright." I said. "I understand if she didn't want to see me."

"That's not right!" Tomoyo yelled, which caused her baby to start crying in her arms. Tomoyo tried to comfort her daughter and she frantically apologized to her crying baby, trying to calm her down.

"I see them." Eriol said.

From a distance I could see Touya, Yukito and finally Sakura walking down the pier.

"Hello, Syaoran." Yukito smiled at me. "We heard you're going, so we're going to see you off. Especially since you are one of Sakura's most treasured friends."

Sakura blushed at Yukito's comment.

"I see, thank you." I bowed. "It's a pleasure to be here and to meet you."

"Yes, thank you for helping us all out." Touya said. "You will be missed. You always have a place here on Ling Shi, you know that."

"Thank you for that." I bowed to him.

"You don't need to bow." Touya replied snarkily to my actions.

"Sorry."

"Be nice, Touya." Yukito scolded. "He was just trying to be polite!"

"Umm… hi, Syaoran." Sakura said quietly as Yukito and Touya were bickering in the background.

I smiled at Sakura, "Hello Sakura. I almost thought you'd never show up." I joked.

Taking this comment seriously, Sakura got defensive, "What? You think I'm that kind of person, Syaoran?"

"I'm just joking."

"Can we go talk somewhere quiet before you go?" Sakura asked shyly.

"Of course."

We found a quiet spot from the other side of the pier. We sat down on the edge away from the boat, looking out into the endless ocean.

"I've never been here before." Sakura admitted.

"It's my first time here that I can actually remember." I replied.

"I never thought I'd have to be here under these circumstances." Sakura's eyes started to well up in tears. "I thought I could come here when I can set off to have an adventure… not… seeing someone I care about go off forever."

"It's not forever." I tried to reassure her. Even I knew that was up for debate. Sakura could not be fooled as she did not respond to my statement.

"I'm really sad." Sakura said as tears streamed down her face. "You're leaving."

"It was going to happen eventually." I said sadly, trying to give her a dose of reality.

"I know, I know… but I didn't think I'd live to see it." Sakura responded.

I couldn't find anything else to say to that.

"You won't forget about me, right?" Sakura looked into my eyes. I saw my reflection in her own green eyes, her tears making it easy to mirror the outside world.

"Of course I won't, Sakura." I took her hand and squeezed it. "I don't forget women I fall in love with… especially if the woman is the first one I've ever loved."

Sakura started to cry harder after that. She buried her head in my chest and sobbed and sobbed. My shirt was getting soaked with her tears, but at this point I didn't care. I held her close to me, stroking her hair and her back. I rested my head against hers and kept her close. I will be here until she cried all the tears she needed to cry out.

Finally she stopped crying, but the sadness present on her face was unmistakable. She apologized profusely for 'ruining' my shirt. I assured her it was alright.

"Syaoran…" Eriol was walking around the pier to find us. "It's time to go."

"Already." Sakura said sadly.

I nodded slowly, looking at Sakura apologetically.

We both stood up together, but neither of us ever wanted the next step to happen. Sakura was holding tightly onto my hands.

As I was about to walk away, Sakura pulled me back close. She held me in her tight embrace, before looking straight into my face. Suddenly, she tiptoed to keep her head leveled to mine, and then before I knew it, I felt her face inch closer to mine; then she planted a kiss on my lips. It lasted for a few minutes – at first I was shocked and had my eyes opened, surprised at what had just happened, but then I let my body relax and go with it. I closed my eyes and kissed her back as I held her close to me.

We broke the kiss and we both looked at each other with such mixed emotions. We were happy, yet sad at the situation.

"Sakura…"

"Syaoran… I love you too." She said with more tears welling in her eyes.

"I love you." I held her tightly once more.

"I'm sorry I have to go." I whispered in her ear.

"I know you have to go." She said sadly.

We both walked back to the crowd of people on the pier, but this time we were holding hands. Tomoyo and Eriol looked at each other in delight at the sight of me and Sakura. Everyone else looked equally amused – except Touya, who looked straight up pissed off that I was holding his little sister's hand.

"So this is it, huh?" Tomoyo said to me.

"I'm sure we'll all see each other again." Eriol smiled.

"I hope so." Sakura said sadly.

"Promise us, Syaoran, that we'll see you again."

"…We'll see." I knew it was a promise I could not keep.

"I do promise I'll try whatever it takes to see you all again, though, somehow." I nodded.

Eventually I had to break free from Sakura's hold. She gave me a sad smile and both Eriol and I embarked on the boat. We looked out on the side, both Eriol and I waving to the crowd on the pier, which they all waved in response.

As the boat started to move I knew it was it. I was leaving now, for good. I don't know how or when I could ever come back, but now this was a journey back home – a long journey, but I knew I would pull through it like I usually did.

Eventually the island became less visible to the eye. Now it was just an endless blue horizon which spread out endlessly.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Are you happy to be going home?" Eriol asked me as we sat inside the cabin of the boat. He was preparing us both a pot of tea.

"I'm mixed about it." I said sadly.

"Oh?" Eriol sipped his tea. "Why's that?"

"Don't act dumb." I glared at him as I kicked his leg from underneath the table. It caused Eriol to spill the hot liquid on himself.

"You were aching to go home when we first met."

"Things change." I replied sadly as I looked into my tea cup.

"Indeed, they do."

"I never expected myself to … get this far."

"You shouldn't doubt yourself, King Syaoran." Eriol mockingly gave a bow.

"I know I said that I would meet them again, but I'm not sure I could keep my promise to them. To Sakura. To everyone."

"So you think you won't ever see them again?" Eriol asked.

I decided now would be the perfect time to ask questions. I remembered the content of my dreams – how Eriol was supposed to be Clow or something. I needed answers.

"What was the purpose of this training?" I asked Eriol.

"What do you mean?"

"This spiritual training stuff."

"It's exactly what it means." Eriol said in a coy voice.

"My mother told me in my dream that Ling Shi is the past of Tomoeda."

"So is that what Yelan told you?" Eriol seemed so familiar with my mother, he even called her by her first name. No one called my mother by her first name unless they were really close.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're right that this was your spiritual training… I mean, if that was your hunch." Eriol sipped his tea.

"Okay…" I wanted more answers from this guy.

"It's not true, however, that Ling Shi is the past."

"Huh?"

"You cannot change the past. You cannot go into the past and change past actions. It's just impossible and time itself would collapse." Eriol crossed his arms together, looking up at the lamp that hung from above us.

"So… what are you saying?"

"Your mother simply… well, to be blunt, she lied to you." He nodded.

"Why would my own mother lie to me?"

"I know that your mother had used your dreams as a means to communicate… but… it was a different circumstance, you see. She cannot talk to you from the future to the past. Because doing that would be trying to alter the past itself."

"Then…"

"Ling Shi is very much in the present. We are in the same time frame, of course."

"That doesn't explain why my mother lied to me."

"After all, your mother knows you best. She knew that she needed to string a story, something you'd believe – something you'd act in desperation to change. By letting you believe that the current situation you were in was the past, she was able to manipulate you in a way to help you."

"What." I was in disbelief.

"Simply, she knew that you would not act the same if you knew that this was in 'the present', by presenting you with false premonitions and giving you hallucinations – I remember, she told me she said she showed you a vision of the 'future' or the 'present' of Tomoeda, which had Tomo Eda of Ling Shi sleeping… or something to that effect."

"Yes, she did."

"Well, Tomoeda is indeed real, but it has nothing to do with Tomo Eda of Ling Shi. The names are purely coincidental. I suppose we used it to our advantage to help you fulfill your training."

"Wait… so is this whole thing a hallucination?"

"Of course not. I'm real, Tomoyo is real, Sakura is real and the late Tomo Eda … they're all very much real."

"But what?"

"However Ling Shi is not in the same… I guess, realm, as your own world right now. But we are in the same time flow."

"Can you all lay it down to me? I am so confused." I tried to process all this new information.

"Alright, where would you like me to begin?"

"What the hell is Ling Shi…? No, wait, who the _hell_ are you?"

"Alright. I'll begin with who I am. I'm exactly who you think I am, Syaoran Li. I am Eriol Hiiragizawa…"

"Is that all?"

"No." Eriol shook his head.

"Then continue."

"I am also known as Clow Reed – well, I'm not Clow Reed, but I am his reincarnation."

I sat there in silence.

"People can get reincarnated?" I asked.

"If you so desire. Clow Reed wanted to live on, even in his death. I guess there's still flaws to that… because I am not Clow Reed, but I am just an image of him. I am my own person. I am Eriol Hiiragizawa; but I still retain the memories of his past."

"…I see."

So Eriol was his own person but with memories of his past. How interesting is that.

"What would you like to know about next? We'll be here for a while so I might as well give you all the information you need."

"Explain again what is Ling Shi." I asked. "This place is real, right?" It'd really hurt to know if everything was just a fake. I know he said it wasn't, but I wanted to make sure.

Eriol nodded, "Of course it's real."

"Go on, then."

"Do you believe?" Eriol asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I asked you when we first met, remember? Syaoran, do you believe in faith? The after life?"

"It seems nice but it seems impossible at the same time. To live after you die."

"Is it really that impossible?" Eriol asked.

"What are you implying…" I said.

"Aren't a lot of things you've experienced… in retrospect, don't you think a lot of these things are also… well, impossible?"

I thought about it. A lot of the things I have gone through since meeting Eriol has become quite… well, fantastical. Surreal. I never knew you could talk through dreams and go through what I've been through. I sat there for a few minutes with my finger on my chin as I was reviewing and reflecting the past events of the past few months.

"Alright, everything is not impossible." I said.

"Then why do you dismiss the thought of the afterlife?" Eriol asked.

"I don't know." I really didn't.

"Well, I'll be happy to tell you that you were living the afterlife."

Silence.

"Wait… what?" I tried to fully articulate what I was trying to say. No, it was no use. I was dumbfounded.

"That's… impossible." I said.

"Or is it?" Eriol's eyes flashed in amusement.

"How?"

"Ling Shi literally means 'other world' in an ancient language…" Eriol looked down at his tea cup. Afterwards, he poured himself another cup. He looked back at me to scan for my reaction.

Was Eriol trying to tell me that I was dead and that Ling Shi was… the afterlife? Memories of getting to Ling Shi – meeting the girl, the Tomoeda Maiden, sinking to the bottom – what did it all mean? The more and more I thought about it and played it over and over mentally, the more it all started to click in.

"I-I'm dead?" I said, horrified. I looked at my hands and pinched myself. The pain was real. So was the pain when we faced Tomo Eda. I was in disbelief.

"You're not dead." Eriol reassured me. "But you're not alive, either."

"What…"

"Ling Shi is the place where you're neither dead or alive. At least, that's where the people who die go." Eriol sipped his tea, "When souls that feel like they have not accomplished everything they wanted in the world, they go to Ling Shi… of course, there are other places like Ling Shi, which is ruled by different people."

"I-I see…"

"Though there's different circumstances in which where, you do die, but it's purposely done."

"What the hell. Are you saying you and my mother conspired to kill me?"

"That's the essence of spiritual training." Eriol said.

I wanted to bludgeon Eriol then and there. I got up and cracked my knuckles, ready to hit Eriol in the head.

"Sit down." He demanded.

"You killed me!"

"Would you stop acting uncivilized and sit down!" Eriol's voice rose. It was scary because he was usually a calm fellow.

I sat down as asked.

"There's three ways you can enter Ling Shi: by death, by intent, or by creation." Eriol had to count using his fingers.

"Alright, I understand the death part." I grumbled.

"There's people like you who go into Ling Shi that were intentionally brought here by Clow himself."

"But Clow is dead, so how could anyone be brought in… intentionally?"

"I'm a reincarnation of Clow. Although I'm not Clow, I have the memories and the powers he possessed… especially since after … well, Fujitaka Kinomoto's death."

"Sakura's father?"

Eriol nodded, "Sakura's father was the other half of Clow's reincarnations. You see, Clow was such a powerful being that he needed to be split into two. Both his memories and powers were divided into an equal two… but… when one of his reincarnations dies, the powers go straight to the reincarnation which is alive."

"I see." We went off tangent but I was still interested in what Eriol had to say.

"Sakura's father and I… we did know each other and of each other's existence. Fujitaka Kinomoto predicted when he would die at Tomo Eda's hands."

"If he knew, why didn't he try and stop it?"

"That was an alternative – but either way, he only saw that with or without his death, he would've died eventually, and his daughter would be put in danger." Eriol took a pause to collect himself before continuing, "So he told me of his prediction. Now you may be wondering what this all has to do with you."

"Pray tell." I replied snarkily.

"Fujitaka Kinomoto and Sakura knew your mother, Yelan, very well." Eriol said, "Yelan also traversed through Ling Shi – or the spiritual realm, as part of her spiritual training. She met Fujitaka and Sakura a long time ago – when Sakura was just a little child. She already knew of Sakura's fate, as when Sakura was a little girl, she already envisioned this bleak future of what we have experienced in Ling Shi. Yelan wanted to help, but she knew she couldn't go back to the spiritual realm to help the Kinomotos and Fujitaka, so she knew the next best thing…"

"I was already born…" I whispered to myself.

"Yes, she knew already, at that moment, that you will one day be in the same position as her."

"I… I see."

"Your mother knew that if you knew all about this, that you would not do your best."

"Did she predict I'd fall in love with…"

"No." Eriol shook his head, "She did not. Neither did I or Fujitaka."

"The day you went to the Tomoeda ruins, you died. Syaoran."

"I see that now. I'm not gonna lie, it's kind of … well, I don't know how to feel about being dead and how my future was already planned out for me."

"Even so, do you regret anything that happened?"

"Of course not." I shook my head, "I've learned a lot here."

"You've grown a lot here, too." Eriol nodded, "People in Ling Shi, when they die… the people who already died in the living realm, when they die in Ling Shi, they ascend to either heaven or hell. In Ling Shi their existence is tested whether they continue onto the higher planes or if they shall continue living in the living world. They all come into Ling Shi, like you, thinking they got sent here by a ferry and that one day that they will be able to come home. For the people who do not want to come home, they continue living forward to Ling Shi until they too, die… and then they ascend to the higher planes – heaven or hell."

"So where is this ferry taking me?"

"Home, of course." Eriol said, "Back to Heung Gong. You've completed your spiritual training. You've mastered magic and you've recompensed for everything here in Ling Shi. You've saved Ling Shi."

"Was Tomo Eda… was he… dead?"

"Sometimes you get spirits who want to continue living but they do not want to leave. They do not die - so they end up in Ling Shi, and they commit evil. People like the Eda family … it was actually Tomo Eda's ancestors who died, stayed in Ling Shi, then eventually the descendants gave birth to the Eda's you saw in Ling Shi."

"So people here can reproduce?"

"Of course they can, you idiot." Eriol rolled his eyes, "You're really stupid when it comes to these things, huh, Syaoran?"

"Excuse me for not being versed in the afterlife." I glared.

Another thing was nagging at me, so I decided to ask.

"What was the purpose of the Clow Artefacts?"

"I knew of their existence thanks to Fujitaka Kinomoto's memories…" Eriol said, "Those artefacts bring stability into Ling Shi. If they were ever to be combined together, the power would be too strong it would literally collapse the foundation of the realm. That's why Clow purposely separated them, and we will continue to separate them as long as they are in good hands."

"Your staff is one of them, I remember my mother telling me."

"I will always keep it safe."

"I have one more question…" I stared at Eriol, which made him uncomfortable, I could see it in his face.

"What is it?" He tried to hide his discomfort.

"Sakura and Tomoyo… are they dead?"

"I was waiting for you to ask that." Eriol said. "The answer is no. They were created in Ling Shi. In fact, most of the people who are priests and priestesses in that temple are created in Ling Shi, they were always people of the spirit realm, and not the living realm. It doesn't mean they're not alive, because they are. It's just they were people born into this place and they do not know any better, really. In fact, the priests and priestesses have a greater significance in Ling Shi."

"What's that?"

"Their attempt to better people could hopefully influence people to do good. Eventually, once people die, they are judged and put onto the ferry to hell or heaven. Priests and Priestesses try to help people make good decisions and live good lives. Not many of the temple priests and priestesses know about their greater purposes because it'd be too overwhelming, so instead they just take the oath and live simply by trying to cause good onto other and living by a good moral code."

I smiled to myself. I'm glad Sakura wasn't suffering my fate. That's all I neede to know and I didn't press any further questions to Eriol. In fact, afterwards, all I did was sleep. I probably slept more than 24 hours – at least that's what it felt like. Then again, time in dreams goes a lot more faster than reality.

**xXxXxXxXx**

When I woke up, the boat was finally stationary. Eriol was not in the cabin like I had last seen him when I first fell asleep. I stretched and yawned, then finally I got up to see where we were at.

When I climbed up the stairs onto the deck, the sunlight was very strong. I had to cover my eyes.

I smelled the scent of the ocean and I listened to the sound of the currents and the waves as they forcefully clashed onto the shore and rocks. Eriol was standing at the edge of the boat and he was smiling at me.

I took a better look of my surroundings: the hills, the houses, the mountains! It was all so familiar – it was Heung Gong. It was home.

"So we're here." I said melancholically. Part of me didn't want to be here, but part of me was ecstatic.

"Welcome home." Eriol said.

The boat was already set so I could just climb down and run to the pier.

When I walked to the other side of the boat, where we would go down to the pier, I saw a small crowd of people waiting. I knew them, of course I did, it was my family.

"Syaoran!" My sisters all screamed happily in unison.

Yep, even after being gone for so long, I was still annoyed at the sound of their voices. I sheepishly waved back to them.

My mother and Wei were standing in front of the crowd. I questioned to myself how Wei got here – I guess when I 'died' in Tomoeda, he went back to Heung Gong per my mother's request.

"So, this is goodbye, isn't it, Eriol?" I looked over to my friend sadly.

"It's never goodbye." Eriol shook his head, "We will see each other again." He extended his hand to me. Instead, how very uncharacteristic of me, I locked him into a brotherly hug.

"You better." I said.

"I spoke to your mother already." Eriol nodded, "While you were sleeping."

"I see."

"All my business here is done… for now." Eriol said.

"Thank you for everything." I said.

"We'll keep in touch, I promise." Eriol laughed.

With that, I descended to the pier where my family was waiting. My sisters all ganged up on me to give me a hug, which sent my body to fall down on the wooden surface. Everyone was laughing and so glad to see me. They commented on how my aura had changed and how tall I had gotten.

I looked behind me and I saw that the ship was already setting sail. Eriol waved to me one last time before he turned away and I could not see him anymore.

"Syaoran!" I knew that voice. It was Meiling's. She shoved my sisters out of the way and flung herself onto me, attacking my face with kisses. I lightly pushed her out of the way.

"I missed you so much." Meiling said.

"I missed everyone." I simply replied.

"Ouch, that's cold." My sister, Feimei commented.

"Now, now, girls." My mother went to intervene. "Syaoran's been through a lot. Give him some space, alright?"

It was back to my old life.

* * *

**Authors Note:**

LOL. You'd all kill me if you thought this was actually the end. I can tell you, one more chapter (or maybe two... probably just one more) until the story is complete. I tried to explain everything as much as possible. I gave a little taste of SxS ... I mean this was an SxS centric fic, sort of, but it doesn't stop here. Anyway... enjoy the beginning of the end! Hehe. Any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to ask~!


	26. Ending

**The Tomoeda Maiden**

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* * *

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**Ending: New Beginnings**

* * *

Three years since Syaoran had left me that day. Not just by leaving me, but leaving Ling Shi for good.

I swear it was hard to get out of that emotional funk for the past few months. I was overwhelmed with sadness. I knew, when I first realized my feelings for Syaoran that he would have to go someday. I knew the direness of my situation, however, I thought I was honestly not going to live to see the day. I thought I would just be a casualty in Tomo's evil plans. Things didn't turn out that way – I'm still alive, but a good part of me felt lost, sad, and almost dead. My quality of life just wasn't the same after the whole Tomo Eda death thing.

It still traumatizes me to this day, when I remember the pain and bloodshed because of me – sometimes Tomo's words ring through to me. I let it get to me. Sometimes it's better than most days where I don't beat myself up over it. It's not that I was sad for Tomo, but I was sad that I had to witness and indirectly cause his violent death. That his soul couldn't be saved. I felt bad, because I believed every person could be born and become good if they tried.

I mean… Naoko loved Tomo… she actually did. She was angry at me for causing all this, but then she told me, after all the slurs and tears, that she understood and that she was sorry. I forgave her, of course, but I don't think she could've forgiven me. That scene, seeing her hurt, losing her lover – it was exactly what made me most guilty; because now I knew how it felt like to lose someone you love, and perhaps you could never see them at all, if ever.

Anyway, even today, 3 years exactly after Syaoran had embarked to his own home, I still feel sullen. Even so, I was still hopelessly in love with him. I constantly sought for anything that reminded me of him, my ears would perk up at the sound of his name being called out in conversation – I couldn't help it. While everyone else seemed to be together, I was alone.

My brother and Yukito finally tied the knot – they abandoned the views and laws of same-sex marriage on Ling Shi. Love was Love, and that's all it was. We were especially glad that their union had full support of the island, and funnily enough, no one was surprised. I was so happy – because I got to be the priestess who held the ceremony for them.

Still, the nagging feeling of emptiness had plagued me all these years. People could see it in my eyes, my face, my voice and actions. It was too obvious that something had been grating and nagging into my soul. I was just… lost, empty…

Tomoyo and Eriol's marriage and family made me envious. I know I had gotten married, but under the wrong circumstances.

Even though I had devoted myself to the temple, what I experienced twisted and warped my beliefs and faith. I didn't know what I wanted out of life anymore or what I believed in anymore. So Touya suggested I took a break and live with Tomoyo and Eriol for a while.

I admit, I liked the change of atmosphere. I also got to take care of Chihiro, who was growing up to be as beautiful as her mother, but still. Even after everything, I would go to bed empty and lost. Even though Syaoran hadn't died, I felt like he was shot several times and he would never come back to me.

**xXxXxXx**

"She won't eat again, huh?" Touya asked. He made it a habit and a ritual to visit me every week to check up on me.

"No." Tomoyo looked at me as I was staring out the windowsill.

"Is she sick? Hexed?" Touya asked with anger and concern in his voice.

"No, she's neither." Eriol shook his head. "After all, I would know since I did cure your ailment years before… if you recall."

"I know." Touya sighed. "It's just… she's not been the same… since…"

"You know I can hear you." I sighed in exasperation.

"Well, you little monster – I know you have a monster appetite, why don't you eat something? You've become skin and bones, literally." Touya said.

"What is this, an intervention?" I rolled my eyes. "Please just leave me alone."

"Tomoyo's been telling me you've not been eating and all you've been doing is lounging around all day looking depressed."

"I'm sorry that I'm not allowed to feel sadness."

"What has gotten into you, Sakura?" Touya went up to me and grabbed my shoulders. He lightly shook me, but I did not respond. I could see, though, he was genuinely worried for me.

"Leave Sakura alone, please, Touya." Tomoyo said.

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to see Sakura die off like this – I don't want to see her LIKE this!" Touya pointed to me accusingly.

"I'm just being me." I said.

"I don't even know you anymore, Sakura."

"Touya, seriously, I don't think you should be so hard on her." Eriol sighed, "You're being extremely insensitive."

"Ever since that stupid brat left, she's been nothing but depressed." Touya gritted his teeth.

"Ding, ding ding ding!" Tomoyo wagged her finger at Touya, "If you know, you should stop harassing her!"

"Please, you guys." I sighed, "Don't get yourselves worked out on me, okay? I'm fine. I'm just feeling sluggish today."

"Sakura, you've never been like this." Touya sighed as he sat down beside me. He positioned my body and face so I was staring straight at him.

My older brother's spirit was crumbling, all because of me. He looked so sad to see me down, but it couldn't be helped. At the price of peace, of course, I had to be selfish now and sacrifice my own happiness.

"You're even sadder than when Tomo Eda had you practically enslaved." Touya frowned, "It really hurts me to see you so upset."

"Tell me what you really want." Touya said as he held my hands. "Anything, tell me what's on your mind."

"What I want is something you cannot give me." I said.

"Before you go outright assume, why don't you tell me first?" Touya's face and voice transitioned from scary harsh to soft and gentle. He was trying his best not to be so abrasive.

"You pretty much answered the question yourself, Touya." Tomoyo sighed.

"Tomoyo, I think we should leave them be." Eriol took his wife by the arm and signaled her towards the door.

"Excuse us." Tomoyo said as the couple both hastily rushed out the door, leaving both me and Touya alone in the music room of the manor.

"Are you that unhappy here, Sakura?" Touya asked me.

"It's not that I'm unhappy with you all, because I really do love you all." I said as I smiled at all of them.

"But are you unhappy here?" Touya persisted.

I looked back at the windowsill because I was not able to give a response that would not hurt my brother. Instead, I let the silence do the talking for me.

I liked looking at the windowsill because it made me imagine and think of the vast possibilities out there, beyond our island – places where Syaoran was from, places far beyond I could ever think to imagine that existed. I wanted to be there. I wanted to see him again – I wanted him to see me and how my hair has grown back to it's former glory. When Syaoran met me my hair was quite short, but now I've grown up quite a bit – at least in physical aspects. I'm sure whatever sad phase I was going through, Syaoran could cheer me up.

I closed my eyes and replayed the moment where I kissed Syaoran and when he told me he loved me face-to-face – that meant no Tomoyo or anyone else telling me he loved me. Syaoran told me himself; and even until now it made my heart feel funny. I wasn't able to tell Syaoran how I felt when he first told me at Tomoyo and Eriol's wedding reception because I wasn't quite sure what to say. I mean, I knew it all along that he loved me – but to hear it come from his mouth, to see the loving expression on his face… it was too overwhelming. Ever since being with Tomo, I've stuck to the idea that I was worthless and useless and that no one could ever love someone like me. That thought had become so stuck in my head that I could not get it out. To have someone I actually liked—no, loved, and cared for telling me otherwise made it too overwhelming. How could I possibly have put my feelings into words and how could I have possibly tried to keep all my feelings in check? Tears were the only answer. I felt horrible afterwards that I could not give him a response; what made it worse was the tone of his voice after I had not said anything to him. It was one thing to feel overwhelmed with these feelings, but it was another to know that the person you loved was going away for who knows how long, with the possibility of not coming back.

"…Do you not want to be here, Sakura?" Touya finally asked softly as he put his hand on my shoulder. In his voice I could tell that he was sincere in his question instead of being interrogating, so I turned my head towards him, facing my brother. He put his hand on my cheek and took one more look at me.

"You don't need to say anything." Touya sighed. "I knew all along." He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As he exhaled, he opened his eyes to give me a sad smile.

"Brother…"

"I knew the day would come when you finally do want to leave home and that you did find someone that you love, huh, Sakura?" He punched me lightly.

I turned rose at his observation and then I looked down at my lap as I clutched onto the fabric of my dress. I bit my lip and nodded slowly.

"Is it… Syaoran…?" Touya asked.

I was surprised Touya remembered his name, so naturally, my eyes widened. As soon as I saw Touya's reassuring kind face I was so used to, I wasn't so scared of admitting it anymore. So I just nodded to answer his question.

"I knew it." Touya lightly chuckled.

"You did?"

"I could tell the moment I first met that Syaoran… back when you foolishly let yourself be caught by Tomo Eda." Touya looked outside the windowsill now. "I mean, it's not hard to figure it out when all you talked about was Syaoran, back at the temple… and the way you looked as you talked about him – anyone would have to be as dense as you not to figure it out."

I glared at him for his backhanded comment.

"He's a good guy." Touya said. "So I'm not really mad at you for liking him… but I am mad at him for making you sad."

"It's not his fault, Touya." I defended Syaoran, "He had to go home… he has duties and responsibilities, just like you and me."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you ever listen?" I sighed, "He's a prince of a country named Heung Gong."

"Really." Touya said flatly in disbelief.

"Really!" I replied.

"Doesn't look like royalty to me." Touya scoffed. He knew he was annoying me – it was what he loved to do when he wasn't acting all over-protective-loving-brother mode. He patted my head and laughed.

"He's probably a King by now… I mean, 3 years is a while."

"If you loved him so much, why didn't you go after him?" Touya said.

"You know I can't leave you and Ling Shi. I have my duties here, too. I know how upset you would be if I just got up and left."

"Of course I would be upset, but you know what makes me more upset? Seeing you this sad, day after day. At least Tomo Eda kept you fed… but now, you're simply just not eating or taking care of yourself. For heavens sakes, you're a walking skeleton!"

"I'm not THAT thin." I said.

Touya poked at my arm to show that I was losing weight. I knew I was losing weight and not eating, but I wasn't a skeleton! I slapped his hand away immediately after.

"You don't have to worry about me, alright?" Touya smiled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I knew that one day I had to give you to that kid."

"I'm not just some property!" I yelled.

"You know what I mean, Sakura. I mean… one day I knew that I'd lose you to someone else. After dad died, you became my number one priority. I promised to protect you… but I also promised him to keep you happy, no matter what."

It was always a treat to see my brother so emotional. He wasn't really good with articulating his feelings, so it was nice to see for once he was genuinely acting nice in front of me. I smiled at my brother and hugged him.

"You know I'll support you in anything that you'll do." Touya hugged me back. "I've seen what he can do … he can definitely protect you, and he definitely cares about you; and above all, I think he can make you happier than what we could ever hope to accomplish here."

"Do you mean that, Touya?"

"Of course I do, Sakura. Every word of it."

"Thank you so much. This means a lot to me. It means a lot more than words could say." I started to wipe the tears of joy forming in my eyes.

I've always wanted to leave. It's what I've wanted to do since Syaoran set sail to his homeland. I was done being a priestess here – the island was in good hands now. The corruption was not completely gone, as corruption never truly leaves, however it can be controlled. I knew that with my brother and Yukito, with their knowledge, they could truly make a difference. The temple no longer ran the island, but the people themselves ran it. Above all, Eriol was the voted leader, and I knew from my experience living with him that he will succeed in all aspects.

"I'll talk to you about it more later, alright?"

"Alright…" I could hardly contain my excitement.

"One more thing." He said.

"What is it?"

"I have to meet and talk to this Syaoran kid myself. I never really did get to formally talk to him. That's one condition that I present to you, Sakura. I must talk to Syaoran, alright?"

"Of course." I nodded.

Touya stood up and headed towards the door. As he opened the door, Tomoyo and Eriol both fell over forwards as they were trying to listen to our conversation. Touya just laughed at them, and the couple proceeded to laugh as well. My brother then left the area, and eventually he'd leave the manor, too. He had duties at the temple after all.

"What happened?" Tomoyo smiled.

"I want to see Syaoran." I replied.

"I knew that all along, Sakura." Tomoyo hugged me. "We all knew that. I just can't believe it took you this long to vocally say it."

"I felt like I was betraying my whole life and beliefs and this island by even wanting that."

"You've given your all to the citizens of Ling Shi." Eriol added, "It's about time now that instead of making others happy, you should try and make yourself happy."

"What did Touya say?" Tomoyo asked.

"He basically said that he approved of whatever I wanted to do – even if it was to see Syaoran." I said.

"So we embark on a boat again." Eriol sighed. "This'll be nice."

"Wait, you're coming?" I said to Eriol.

"Of course I am, Sakura. You can't leave this island without me – I'm the only one who knows how to navigate through this confusing world, after all." He said in a mysterious tone. Tomoyo wasn't buying it, though, as she looked at him skeptically.

"Anyway, Tomoyo…" I ignored Eriol for a moment, "Touya said that on one condition, he had to meet and talk to Syaoran for real."

"Sounds exciting. Your brother has a father complex on you." Tomoyo giggled.

"Now that you mention it, he sure does." I agreed with her.

"I haven't spoken or kept in touch with Syaoran for a while – do you think he still remembers me?" I asked.

"Of course he will. No one could possibly forget your cute pretty face, Sakura!" Tomoyo squeezed my cheeks enthusiastically.

"I've been keeping in touch with Syaoran." Eriol said.

"Oh, how come I wasn't aware of this?" Tomoyo put her hands on her hips.

"Dear, you don't need to know everything in my life." Eriol said, "Life would be boring without mystery."

"Do you know when the next ferry comes?" Tomoyo asked Eriol, immediately changing the subject – but it was still on the same train of thought, of course.

"Hmm, I'm sure there's one coming soon." Eriol smiled.

"How do you know all this?" I raised my eyebrow. Something fishy was going on around here.

"I'm the leader of this island, aren't I? I should know a lot of things about this island you don't…" Eriol smiled at me.

For a split second, as Eriol smiled at me, I saw my father inside Eriol. For a moment, they looked like a split image of each other. As Eriol was smiling, I saw my father's spirit energy radiating around the room, and I could feel his presence around Eriol as well. Then, as I rubbed my eyes and blinked, the aura and energy had come and gone.

"What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked.

"Nothing." I said, "I was just seeing things, that's all."

"Poor baby, you haven't been eating." Tomoyo teased, "If you want to see Syaoran again, you have to look beautiful! If what Eriol said was true, we're going to see him soon. So eat up, alright?"

"Alright, alright." I sighed.

"Good. I'll go check on Chihiro first then I'll bring you something to eat."

So there it was that afternoon. I spent the rest of the afternoon eating and Tomoyo talking to me about Syaoran: what does he look like now? What is he doing? What was he up to? What will he say when he saw me?

Touya came to visit us again. Essentially, Eriol told everyone that the ferry will be arriving tomorrow and that if everyone wanted to come we'd have to leave the island unattended for a while. So in that case, Yukito had to stay behind to take my brother's place and Yamato would take Eriol's place while we were gone for a while. While Eriol did not mention the length of the voyage, he said that it'd be a few days.

**xXxXxXxXx**

So the next day we packed up our things, and like 3 years earlier, it was the same scene. Instead, a crowd of people went to see us off. People were envious of our opportunity to travel – however it was more of a joyous sending off than a sad, tearful one. Now, I was with my loved ones and now we were off to see Syaoran. It was so sudden, but what I've wanted all these years – just to see him again, it was finally becoming a reality. Like a dream come to life – but it was definitely real. Everything happened so fast and so sudden that I could not even catch up with what was unfolding in front of me.

"The ocean is so vast, isn't it, Sakura?" Tomoyo said as she was carrying her now 3 year old daughter.

"I'm surprised I'm not getting seasick like Touya is." I joked. Touya was in the cabin probably on his knees and his face was probably planted onto the waste basket.

"How long, Eriol?" Tomoyo asked her husband.

"Well, we've been at sea for 8 hours now, you wouldn't have to wait long. Just go to sleep and I'm sure by the time we're there, you won't notice it would be this long." Eriol said calmly. I knew though there was more to it than that, but I shrugged it off.

I could hardly contain my excitement the following evening. Even though I was trying to sleep, I could not. I slowly crept out of the cabins and went up the stairs to the deck of the boat.

It was unlike I've ever seen. The sky was a dark blue, but so many stars were all over the night sky that it wasn't even that dark. As I walked slowly towards the edge of the boat, I noticed Eriol standing there, as if he were expecting me.

"Sakura." He smiled at me. "I see you're not sleeping."

"No." I shook my head. I then turned my head downwards to look at the water. I jumped up in surprise.

"Oh!"

"Careful!" Eriol grabbed me before I fell in.

"Where are we? This isn't water anymore!" I said, panicked, but I did not yell so as to wake the others downstairs.

I took another look down. There was no water – but rather, it was like looking down and seeing the sky. It was an endless dark blue, nearing black, but stars were also strewn all over the surface. It was a shocking sight to see.

"You're correct, this isn't water." Eriol laughed.

"What is this place?"

"This is the area where the spiritual realm and the real realm cross." Eriol stared out into the star filled sky.

"…What?"

"This is exactly why I asked you to sleep." Eriol laughed lightly.

"Seriously, Eriol, I'm so confused…" I scratched my head.

"Do you know the meaning of your existence?" Eriol's face soon began to morph into my father's face.

I rubbed my eyes and blinked many times to make sure it wasn't a hallucination. I even pinched myself in the process. Eriol's face came back and he looked at me amusedly.

"You saw someone important to you, didn't you, Sakura?" Eriol smiled. Again, I saw my father's expression as Eriol smiled.

"Dad?" I spoke my thoughts. I covered my mouth afterwards, embarrassed by my blunder.

"I'm not your father, but I suppose I am a part of him." Eriol looked away from me.

"I'm confused."

"I'm not expecting you to get everything. Everything is so confusing."

"What do you mean that you're a part of dad?" I asked.

"When Clow Reed died he was split into two parts, who would reincarnate in this life." Eriol paused, "One of them was me, and one of them was your father."

"No way." I said in disbelief. "You mean… Clow was real?"

"You're a priestess, shouldn't you be the one telling me he's real?" Eriol chuckled.

"My beliefs have been waning lately." I admitted.

"It's alright." Eriol said. "Clow was very real. But he wasn't God, either. He was just a strong magician."

"So… I'm related to Clow?"

"People born on the island, one way or another, are related to Clow by some unsuspecting link."

"I-I see…" I tried to breathe in slowly. I was getting dizzy with all these newfound facts. My father was Clow's… next life? So was Eriol? Does that mean Eriol was my father? Eriol could see the confusion in my face, but he touched my shoulder to calm me down. So I took a deep breath and relaxed and then I tried to compose my thoughts.

"Why did you ask me about the meaning of my existence?" I asked Eriol.

"Because, it seems no one seems to understand. It's alright, because it makes them lead a simple life." Eriol said, "But do you know why you're a priestess?"

"It's something I've been brought up to do and believe. After all, my father was a fairly important person."

"But do you know why?"

"No." I shook my head. "If you make me analyse it, I really don't know the deep rooted meaning."

"Do you want to know?"

I knew that if I wanted to know, then I would discover a lot of things I may or may not like. I was this far, though – and I think if I denied these facts, I would forever be trying to think about it and trying to think of the answer myself. So instead I decided to take the opportunity to get direct answers from the source itself.

I nodded.

"The spirit realm is where we live, in Ling Shi."

"Really?" I said. "…So are you saying that… I'm dead?"

"No." Eriol said. "You're not dead because you've never lived in the living realm in the beginning. You've always lived in the spirit realm, but it doesn't necessarily mean that people who live in the spirit realm are dead."

I looked out into the sky and admired the view and the breeze hitting my face softly. Afterwards, I closed my eyes and nodded so Eriol could continue his explanation.

"Priestesses and priests, like you, are the ones who guide the spirits to live their lives better. Sometimes when there's people who were killed so suddenly or people who so strongly want to live – they're given a second chance on Ling Shi, to live a new life – and if they are good in this new life, then they go to heaven, which is another higher plane. If you are bad in this new life, you go to hell."

Eriol explained that our roles was to encourage these spirits – these dead, the ones who are normal citizens of Ling Shi, to live a good life so they could go into heaven. If they were not happy here and were still persistent on living on in their old world, then the amount of good they do on Ling Shi will be influenced whether or not they get to take the ferry back to their living realm.

The ferry we were on was the ferry from the spirit realm to the living realm, where Syaoran lived.

It was a fantastical, even romantic feeling – this story, that now even my life had more purpose and more significance to it. However, I thought about Syaoran as well.

"So… he was dead?" I asked.

"He wasn't necessarily dead. It's more like I brought him here." Eriol said. "Only Clow could really bring the living into the spirit world intentionally."

"You said you're not." I frowned.

"I'm his next life, so I am technically… well, Clow in another life." Eriol laughed. "The thought of reincarnation is frightening, so please don't over-analyse it."

"A-alright…"

"Sometimes though… you can reach someone who is dying by their dreams, or you can reach someone living by their dreams, too. I think subconsciously, you helped Syaoran to come to the spirit realm."

"What do you mean?"

"While you were dreaming, so was he, in a way… I casted a spell on Syaoran to make it seem like that he was going to these ruins in a place called Tomoeda."

"Tomo Eda…?"

"It's irrelevant to you, really, but it has nothing to do with your late 'husband'." Eriol stated.

"In reality Syaoran was dreaming, and so were you in the spirit realm – since Syaoran was vulnerable, it seems you two already met in each other's dreams."

"How confusing." I said.

"Remember… try to remember, do you remember that dream where you thought you saw the future of Ling Shi?"

Of course I did. I remembered it – it was a sad future. I had many prophetic dreams back then. I remembered, though, I saw a figure like Syaoran running after me in my dreams. Yet I never really did directly call out to him. It was a hazy memory, but I think that's what Eriol was trying to get at.

I nodded.

"That's when it begun." Eriol smiled slyly.

"You knew Syaoran would come?" I asked.

"Of course I knew." He replied.

"Wow." I said in amazement.

"But now, this … the living realm is out of my jurisdiction." Eriol said. "It's out of my hands, now, when you set foot here, whatever happens is on your terms."

"It's not like I plan to stay for a long time… I just wanted to see Syaoran." I said.

"You will have to decide, Sakura… people who live in the spirit realm have a limited number of times they can visit the living realm within a span of 3 years." Eriol said, "You can only visit once every three years."

"You mean…" It made sense. It was 3 years since Syaoran had come home. In order for Eriol to come guide us – since he was the only one, he would have to wait 3 years.

"If you really want to be with Syaoran, you have to choose between Ling Shi or the living world." Eriol closed his eyes.

"Why are you telling me this now?" I asked.

"You have to decide your own happiness."

I looked out to the horizon. My own happiness, I was unsure myself what true happiness meant to me.

I went back to the cabin and tried to sleep again. This time, my eyes were getting heavier and heavier. All the while I tried to process Eriol's words and most of all, I tried to figure out what it meant to be truly happy; my true happiness. True happiness meant that you had to make a selfish decision.

What was I to do?

**xXxXxXx**

When I woke up the boat was still. Tomoyo was sitting on her bed brushing her hair, and then when she saw my eyes open, she jumped onto my bed and then she started to stroke my head.

"We're here, Sakura!" Tomoyo squealed.

"Where's Chihiro?" I said hazily.

"It's her daddy's time to watch her." Tomoyo giggled. "Get up, get up! We're on the shore of Heung Gong!"

I stared at the ceiling and then I thought of the events that had occurred last night—the revelation of everything. Sometimes ignorance was a bliss.

_My true happiness_?

Tomoyo had already chosen a dress for me to wear, because she wanted me to look impressive for Syaoran. It was just a simple white robe with particular drapings all around, to make me look like some sort of goddess or something. Tomoyo began to brush my long hair and then finally braiding it, before adding some hair accessories in my hair. I felt like I was being dolled up. Of course, Tomoyo was also dressed for the occasion.

When I headed upstairs, Touya started to stare at me.

"Wow." Touya said.

"What?"

"All that for the brat, huh?" Touya laughed.

"Now, now, Touya." Tomoyo scolded, "We want her to look her best!"

"Whatever you say." Touya grumbled. "This place is… really… hot." He started to fan himself.

"You're such a baby." I teased, "It's only a little bit hotter than Ling Shi."

I wonder if Touya and Tomoyo knew about the true significance of our existence and Ling Shi, too? I put the idea to rest, however, it wasn't the time to think about that. Now it was time to meet Syaoran.

"The boat's already been set down so we can go to the pier." Eriol noted. He was the first one to climb down, along with his daughter in his arms. Then it was Touya, then me, and lastly Tomoyo.

"Wow! So many mountains!" Tomoyo gawked at the scenery.

"You definitely know you're in a different place." I said.

I noticed a figure walking up to us. She was a tall woman with black hair and eloquent clothing – and she had Syaoran's same brown eyes.

"Yelan…?" I gasped. Why was Yelan here? I thought she only existed in my dreams? Perhaps maybe this was a dream? I started to pinch myself, but I only ended up hurting my arms.

"Yelan." Eriol smiled and bowed to the woman. We took his lead and bowed along with him.

"Please, Eriol, there is no need to bow." Yelan smiled. "You're an old friend, after all… you and Fujitaka."

"You knew father?" Touya said.

"Indeed." Yelan nodded and walked up to Touya. She cupped his face in her hands, "You're definitely… Fujitaka's son."

"I'm sorry for the disrespect." Touya said and bowed, "I'm Touya Kinomoto, I am indeed Fujitaka Kinomoto's son."

"Pleasure to meet you." Yelan smiled. This woman was so full of poise and elegance it was awe-inducing.

"You must be Eriol's wife." Yelan said as she approached Tomoyo and hugged her. "I'm guessing because that child Eriol is holding looks exactly like you. Very beautiful."

"Thank you!" Tomoyo was flustered.

"You must be Sakura." Yelan said. My eyes widened because she didn't even need to ask for my name.

I stared at her and I sensed so much familiarity. She didn't say anything further, but instead she smiled at me and gave me a warm hug.

"I'm so happy you can all come, especially during my son's coronation."

"Syaoran's only getting coroneted today?" Eriol grinned.

"It's been too long, sometimes the Queen wants to retire, too." Yelan laughed.

"You're-You're the queen?" I gasped.

"Yes." Yelan said politely in response.

"…That means you're Syaoran's… mother?" Touya asked.

"Yes." Yelan simply replied, "You all seem to know my son so well… I suppose you are all the friends he has made on his pilgrimage. He speaks fondly of you all, you know."

"Anyway!" Yelan said, "No one knows that I am out here… I had to literally sneak out of the palace. Luckily it's so busy because it's Syaoran's coronation that everyone is busy and stressed out, so they don't notice tiny things like their queen sneaking out of the palace. It's getting hot, so let's get a move on, shall we?"

So we all followed Yelan to her palace. I admit, the more I walked, the more I felt I was getting hotter and hotter. I had to wipe the sweat off my forehead. Luckily it wasn't such a long trek as I had anticipated. I noticed that Yelan kept stealing glances at me and then smiling – was this the same Yelan in my dreams? I wonder what she thought of me – did Syaoran ever talk about me to her?

The capital of Heung Gong, Kowloon, was a lot more structured than Ling Shi. There were monumental statues all around the place, most buildings were different in architectural styles, there were pagoda-like buildings all over and there were many rust and red coloured leaves on the trees – but oddly enough, it wasn't autumn because it was so hot! We were taking the longer, secretive route, which was on a hillside that overlooked the city capital itself. It was bustling and full of life – something I have never seen before. Syaoran was about to rule all this and more!

**xXxXxXx**

We finally arrived at the palace which was heavily guarded by tough looking guards. They were well-equipped with spears and swords and they all had the same intimidating façade. Nevertheless, we made it in thanks to Yelan.

The palace was way more spacious than the temple, and a lot more eloquently decorated too. It also smelled heavily of food.

"You all must be hungry." Yelan noted.

"A little bit." Eriol laughed. "It was a long journey, after all." He looked over to me and winked.

"The coronation is not until a few hours in the afternoon, we have not eaten our breakfast yet so why don't we all sit at the banquet hall? I was expecting you all, after all. We made sure to prepare everything and to make your visit a lot more comfortable."

"You are too kind, your majesty." Touya smiled.

"Please, call me Yelan." Yelan replied.

She led us to the banquet hall which was a huge room with many golden decorations – I noted decorations of dragons and phoenixes spread out across the room, along with expensive looking paintings and vases. We all sat in these really fancy looking chairs which had a lion decoration on each hilt.

We sat down and started to make idle chatter amongst ourselves. Then Yelan left and went to get the other members of the family to join us.

"This place is _huge!_" I whispered to Tomoyo.

"I never knew Syaoran grew up in this type of royalty!" Tomoyo whispered back.

We watched as people started coming in.

"Ohh! Who are you!" A woman who looked like Syaoran grinned. She had no shame coming to approach me and then touching my hair.

"Please, Fanren, sit down." Yelan said sternly. "Don't scare our guests."

"I'm sorry." Fanren said.

"Aw, you are so cute!" Another girl who looked like Fanren noted.

"Please, girls, don't scare our guests." Yelan said in frustration.

All four girls sat across from us and they were all gawking at all of us. All of them made googly eyes to my brother – which I have to admit, he was a good looking fellow. Too bad he was taken and he doesn't like women.

Another girl came to the banquet table. She had long black hair tied up in odangos and she had brown eyes which were bordering a reddish colour. She did not say a word to me, but she did sit down near Yelan. She was staring at all of us and possibly she was wondering who on earth were we and why were we here. I could tell by the questioning look she gave Yelan.

"I'm sorry, Syaoran has a tendency to run quite late." Yelan sighed, "Ah, there he is!"

All four of us turned our heads to the door, and sure enough, there he was. I recognized that messy hair and brown eyes anywhere. He had gotten a lot more muscular and taller since I last saw him.

Syaoran looked at me with widened eyes, as did I. My face was so red because I was flustered and excited all at the same time.

"I-I'm sorry I was late…" He mumbled as he sat across from me. He kept staring at me.

"Now, everyone's seated." Yelan smiled. "These are our guests from Tomoeda, I'm sure Syaoran knows who they are?"

I laughed to myself. I wasn't from Tomoeda, but now I understood that these people may not have even known what Ling Shi was. So I kept silent.

Tomoyo nudged me with her elbow and then she gave me a mischevious look. She whispered to me, "Oh my gosh, he's gotten so handsome over the years!"

"I know." I whispered nervously as I felt his gaze on me.

"Tomoeda, huh?" The girl with the long black hair said.

Then came formal introductions – Syaoran's sisters introduced themselves first. I remember their names were Fanren, Fuutie, Sheifa and Feimei. It was almost a tongue twister, trying to remember all their names. While they were introducing themselves, they were so focused on trying to impress Touya. Touya seemed unphased, though, I think the attention was starting to irritate him. Tomoyo and I laughed at his discomfort with the whole situation.

The girl who had the long black hair was Meiling, and she was apparently Syaoran's cousin. I couldn't help but notice her shooting me dark looks throughout the whole duration of the breakfast.

Once breakfast was officially done and eaten, now it was our turn to formally introduce ourselves.

"I'm Sakura Kinomoto, and this is Touya Kinomoto, my brother." I introduced both of us as Syaoran's sisters were now asking for introductions.

"Is that so?" One of them said, "Say, Mr. Kinomoto, are you in the market for a wife?"

"Sorry girls, he's taken." Eriol chuckled.

"Aw, who's the lucky girl?"

"Actually, it's a man." Touya cleared his throat. The girls looked stunned at his revelation.

"It was too good to be true!" One of them dramatically cried.

"Seriously, you're embarrassing me." Syaoran glared at his sisters. "You're objectifying the guests..."

Syaoran looked at both me and Touya, "I'm sorry, you two. My sisters are a bit… well, they're melodramatic and do not know when to shut their mouths."

Then the girl known as Meiling spoke, "So, you're _the Sakura Kinomoto?"_ she hinted with disdain in her voice.

Nervously, I replied, "Yes."

She said nothing further, but kept quiet throughout the whole meal. In fact, we didn't really talk much except about Syaoran getting stronger since coming from his spiritual training and how he was getting coronated today.

"So Syaoran's going to be the King, huh?" Tomoyo asked, "Is Syaoran in the market for a _queen_?" Tomoyo looked over to me.

Syaoran laughed, "I don't have a queen with me, yet."

"We've been pestering Syaoran about having a girlfriend… but he cancelled his engagement with Meiling all the sudden upon returning from Tomoeda." One of his sisters looked over to me and winked. "We still don't know who exactly it was that made him change his mind."

"There's no hard feelings about it, right Meiling?" Syaoran looked over to his cousin.

"Of course, Syaoran." Meiling replied weakly, while still maintaining that angry gaze on me.

"That's a shame." Tomoyo smiled, "Someone as handsome as Syaoran shouldn't be single all this time."

"One day I can hope to have a successful marriage and family like both you and Eriol." Syaoran smiled.

"I hate to ask for this on such an early occasion, but mother, may I please speak to the guests alone?" Syaoran asked afterwards.

Yelan nodded, "Why of course. Come now, girls, let's prepare ourselves for the rest of the day. Syaoran, you know where to find me if you need anything… you too, my guests. Just ask and I will assist you, alright?"

"Thank you." We all said in unison. Everyone else except Syaoran and us were left alone in the room.

"I'm sorry about my family. They're a bit… well… you know." Syaoran finally dropped the formal silent act.

"Heh, it's alright, Syaoran, you're going to be a king today, aren't you excited?" Tomoyo asked.

"I suppose. I was actually supposed to be coroneted when I had come back from … well, Ling Shi, to train – but it was postponed because I refused to have a wife – usually when someone gets coroneted here, I have to be married the same day… but… they made an exception for me at this point, after I fought so strongly not to get married, thus, not getting coroneted. Now they disregarded the fact I'm a bachelor."

"Why did you break off that engagement to that girl?" Touya asked, referring to Meiling.

"Meiling is just my cousin and a close friend… I could never marry someone who I see like my sister." Syaoran made a disgusted face, "She's nice and all, but she's not wife material… besides, I could never marry someone I wasn't in love with – I saw how that turned out, I think all of us saw how it turned out."

"Haha, definitely." I said.

"Besides… I don't think I could've possibly married ever, because women in Heung Gong are… how do you say it? They act exactly like my sisters. They have no sense of sophistication or grace." Syaoran rolled his eyes.

"Your mother seems to encompass sophistication." I at least tried to speak for his mother.

"My mother is the only exception." Syaoran responded. He looked at me with such happy eyes, which made my brother glare at him in response.

"Wouldn't it be nice if you did get married to someone you liked!" Tomoyo was not being obvious at this point as she was looking at me and Syaoran as she spoke.

"It would be." Syaoran looked over to me. I felt the warm fuzzy feeling I got from Syaoran again, with my heart pounding faster and faster. He had just gotten so handsome over the years! Even looking at him made me feel so different.

"Can I talk to you outside, Syaoran?" Touya asked him. It surprised Syaoran, who in response, looked legitimately frightened since Touya's face was in protective-older-brother mode.

"A-alright… let's go to the room next door. Excuse us, ladies… and Eriol." Syaoran said as both Touya and him went out the door.

"I wonder what those two are going to talk about." Tomoyo grinned.

"I'm kind of scared. Touya is intimidating." I sighed deeply. I hope that Touya wasn't grilling him too hard.

What seemed like forever, the two men came back into the banquet hall and both of them had a poker-face, so I couldn't see what the outcome was judging by both their faces or aura. They hadn't really spoke about what they talked about either. I had a hunch on what it was – but Touya was good at hiding his intentions. The worst part was, Syaoran was hiding his reaction as well.

"I'm sorry to leave you all right now." Syaoran frowned, "I have to prepare for the coronation. I will make sure to talk to you all later, and even more when this whole thing is over… you know how it is by following tradition." He finished with a sigh.

We all stood up and gave Syaoran a hug – well, except Touya because he was never really affectionate, and I think Touya was really bothered by Syaoran, and I knew why, too. Touya just had to accept that there was now a guy in my life that was just as equally important to me as he was to me. Syaoran gave me a really long hug and then whispered in my ear, "I love you." After he broke the hug, he looked at me with such intense eyes before he turned away and left. I stood there, feeling like a melted pool of ice.

**xXxXxXxXx**

The following afternoon consisted of Yelan's most trusted guides and soliders giving us a tour of the palace and then giving us some tours around Kowloon. Kowloon was too big that we could not go through it all, but we got to see the main tourist attractions. From what I gathered, Kowloon was very big on decorations and beauty – and it was apparent in their floral arrangements and landscaping. I felt at ease walking around here – and for such a huge city, there was little to no pollution.

As we got back to the palace, we noticed many citizens were crowding around the palace piazza – or the palace square, where most citizens went to crowd around when there was an important event or speech taking place at the castle – so we were told, anyway. It was nearing Syaoran's coronation time.

"What? No! You're not going to be in the crowds, you silly people." Yelan laughed, "You're going to be sitting with us as Syaoran gets officially coroneted."

"Really? Is it too troublesome?" Touya was concerned about us sitting near the palace 'royalty'.

"You are our personal guests… and I'm sure Syaoran would be upset if we put you in the crowd with the common folk."

We all sat on the stage, behind the main front where Syaoran would be standing. Yelan would be the one passing the crown to him and then a huge oath would be taken place – Yelan told me usually it took longer because marriages would also occur at the same time, but since Syaoran was so diligent in not getting married that it would be omitted, thus the coronation ceremony would not take up too much time.

I felt extremely nervous and I wasn't the main attraction, but it certainly felt like I was as all the people of Heung Gong looked at all four of us, the foreigners, up on the stage. I could see their judgmental gazes and hear some of the gossip. Some were good, some were bad, but it got to me. Tomoyo could see it was making me uncomfortable so she held my hand.

"It'll be okay, Sakura. They're probably just staring at you because you're so beautiful!"

"You can also take into account no one here looks like us! We for sure look like foreigners!" I gritted my teeth.

People in Heung Gong had the distinct brown hair and brown eyes, just like Syaoran – if not brown, it was dark hair. Added to that they mostly had tan skin which contrasted with ours which was a bit pale. Yelan was the only one who looked as white as a porcelain doll – she looked like an older Tomoyo, but with Syaoran's eyes.

Then, the ceremony was beginning. The music started – the huge barrel drums beating and the mandolins being strummed as the royal family made their way up the stage. We all stood in respect of them coming up. They sat alongside us, and then finally Syaoran and his mother made their way to the stage.

Syaoran was wearing green robes with white pants. He looked very – well, dressed up. I guess he had to wear traditional garb since he was becoming king and all. I thought it was adorable and funny at how uncomfortable he looked being up there, but I couldn't fault him for that, it was really hot today and seeing Syaoran wearing all those layers made me feel sorry for him.

"We're gathered here today to celebrate a new era." Yelan said as she was reading off her pre-written scrolls. "A new era in which I will be stepping down from the crown and passing it onto someone dear to me… that is you, my son." As Yelan smiled, I could definitely see how proud she was of her son and how far off he had come in life. I was happy too, seeing them on the stage. Everyone was cheering at the sight of the queen and the prince.

"I am retiring from the role of the head of the throne today because I feel that I can no longer fully sustain my duties. You see, as time passes by, we all age… and I feel that it's now time for the Kingdom of Heung Gong to be ruled under a new ruler – someone far younger than I am, of course, and that I can hope that the youth can instill a new power and new energy in our land – and that the new monarch can continue to live on with the legacy today."

More cheers. My ears started to ring at the noise.

"Although it is tradition to have a queen by the King's side, after many years of deliberation we decided that Prince Syaoran Li will not be getting married today, as he has continuously state that he has found an unsuitable queen to rule beside him. I am a queen and I am all for tradition, but I am a mother first and foremost, and I want my son to be happy. If he does not want to marry anyone, then so be it."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, mother." Syaoran finally spoke up. Everyone gasped; as it was a form of disrespect to interrupt their elders.

"Would you like to speak?" Yelan took no note of his interruption but instead she smiled at him kindly and patiently.

Syaoran nodded, "Yes. Actually, mother is wrong about that aspect. It's not that I have not found a suitable queen, it's just that I did not have the woman I loved here with me. I actually have found someone who would be a perfect queen – she is kind, loving, compassionate and beautiful inside and out."

He then turned to me with his arm extended towards me. Hairs rose from my spine as I became nervous and flustered.

"Go, Sakura!" Tomoyo whispered as she helped me break my self-induced paralysis.

I slowly walked towards Syaoran, but I was still incredibly scared and shy as hundreds of thousands of people had all their eyes on me. It was scary – Ling Shi never had that many people.

"This is Sakura Kinomoto and she is the Maiden of Tomoeda." Syaoran smiled, "I met her whilst training out there, and I can say with confidence not only is she a kind, gentle person, but she is an excellent magician with a lot of zeal."

"My, my." Yelan said in amusement. "What are you asking for, my son?"

Syaoran then went down on one knee and then he took out a box. He took out a beautiful diamond ring from the box.

"Sakura Kinomoto, will you marry me?" He looked at me with the most sincere eyes.

I felt tears already streaming down my face – but they weren't tears of sorrow, no! They were happy tears. I was dumbfounded and my ability to speak was cut short, so instead I nodded. He slipped the ring on my finger and as soon as he did, he pulled me towards him and he kissed me.

I kissed him back.

It's been years since I felt his lips on mine and it certainly felt as good as the first time I kissed him.

Surprisingly enough, the citizens of Heung Gong were clapping and cheering even more as the event took place. The event of my official engagement – the real engagement that I so deserved.

"It looks like the ceremony will be as long as planned." Yelan seemed unsurprised. I think deep down inside, she knew this was going to happen.

So it was decided. The events following that, we did get married on the stage. It was a long process, but we did get married. I wasn't wearing traditional Heung Gong robes, but I don't think anyone cared at that point. Especially Syaoran. As the priest was getting us to say our vows, I never ever looked away from Syaoran's face and neither did he. We were in our own little world and I was still having a hard time believing this was true.

It was true alright, in fact, everything was absolutely real.

We both got coroneted at the stage. Syaoran wearing his crown, and I wearing the queen's crown. The crowd roared at the official coronation of their new King and Queen.

I couldn't believe it. Not only was I Syaoran's wife, but I was also the queen of a new nation, all in one swoop. Yelan didn't even seem critical of it, she was just happy her son was happy.

A wedding reception soon followed afterwards. That's when I was forced to wear the traditional robes. It was a matching green dress with white detailing – it wasn't like Tomoyo's usual work, since it wasn't, but it was at least comfortable.

"Welcome to the family." Yelan hugged me. "I always knew the moment I met you, that you would be part of our family."

"But didn't we meet today…?" I asked her.

"I'm sure we've met before." Yelan winked. "Don't worry, though. This isn't a dream. It's real." She read my mind.

"T-thank you…" I said.

"This means you'll be staying here, right, Sakura?" Touya came from behind us.

"Touya…" I said.

"I know the deal. Eriol told me. We can only visit you every 3 years." Touya said sadly. "But… at least you're happy, so I'm happy, too."

"3 years passes by really fast, you'll see." Yelan smiled, "Besides… maybe you'll see Sakura more often than you think. Maybe not physically, but maybe in another medium?"

"How cryptic." Touya said.

Yelan was referring to going into dreams, and it was entirely doable. If Yelan could do it, I should be able to, too.

"We'll take care of her, don't you worry. My son is going to make sure nothing bad happens to her."

"I'll kick his ass if he fails to protect her." Touya made a punching motion.

The rest of the evening was spent with a plethora of people I don't even know. Mostly wedding guests, but hey, I was glad to meet anyone in this strange land. Syaoran and I were beat.

The reception itself was noisier than the wedding ceremony, and ten times as rowdier and noisier as Tomoyo and Eriol's wedding; of course that's what you'd expect in a public royal wedding.

Syaoran and I were getting tired of the noise so we headed into the palace and up the highest point of the palace, where we overlooked the city on this balcony.

"I always knew you'd come to me somehow." Syaoran said as he held my hands together.

"How?"

"My mother told me everything." Syaoran said.

"Everything?"

"It's a secret." Syaoran grinned, "My wife."

"So, I'm no longer Tomo Eda's maiden." I smiled.

"You're mine." Syaoran held me close again, locking lips with me.

Today, I was no longer Tomo Eda's widow or his maiden at all, but now I was Syaoran's wife. Even though the road coming up to this point was rocky, what matters is that we pulled through and we're together now. As cheesy as it sounds, even our love knew no boundaries – even between the spiritual and living realm.

**xXxXxXx**

Eventually everyone else had to go back home to Ling Shi. It was an eventful and happy few days, but life did not stay stationary- oh no, it always flowed alongside time. Touya and Eriol were both key and important people back home in Ling Shi, so of course they had to go back home.

"Oh Sakura..." Tomoyo sobbed, "Three whole years until I can see you again!"

I took her in my arms and let her sob to her hearts content. I was crying too, because Tomoyo was practically my sister; and to be apart from her for 3 years each and every time was going to be sad, but she knew that being here made me happy.

Touya did not shed any tears, but he did look sad. Of course I did not hide my true feelings so when it was my turn to see him off and talk to him, I broke down crying. After all, he was my older brother and I sacrificed so much for him. However, he knew that he could not keep me in his birdcage forever and I had to go off and live my own life that I have chosen - not for the sake of anyone elses' happiness, but only my own. Being with Syaoran made me happy, and Syaoran was with me every step of the way as I said my goodbyes to my family and loved ones.

"We will keep in touch." Eriol said.

"I know." I smiled.

"Syaoran." Eriol hugged his former student.

"Thank you for everything, Eriol." Syaoran said. "I knew you said you were going to surprise me with a visit, but I never knew you'd surprise me with Sakura."

"You knew all along." I smiled at Eriol.

"Of course." Eriol laughed, "Everyone was in on it except you. I tried hard to keep it a surprise."

"Even Touya?" I asked.

"Of course Touya. Why do you think it took him so long to come to terms with it? If you noticed he wasn't going... tyrannical, you know? He was calm about it."

"I guess you're right."I said.

As they all boarded on the boat, we all waved to them, finalizing the goodbyes to each other.

Syaoran held my hand tightly as I waved with my other hand. I waved until I could not see them anymore and until my arm got sore. We then went for a walk around the beach, hand in hand.

"This is it, Sakura." Syaoran said to me.

"What is it?" I asked.

He stopped in his tracks and then took both my hands into his. He looked into my eyes and stared at me lovingly.

"Our new beginning." He said softly.

"Yes." I smiled back, "Our new life together."

I knew that being the queen of this new kingdom was going to be no easy task, but I'm sure with Syaoran by my side we can both pull through. After all, after all we've been through, I'm sure that we can make it through anything together. We beat the test, but now comes the challenge - the challenge of living happily. I'm sure though, even with that, we can complete together. You never know, though.

Right now, the future seemed very optimistic and I know it will be for years to come.

This was the beginning of our new lives.

The End

* * *

**Authors Note:**

Oh god. LONGEST CHAPTER TO DATE. This is the end of the story and forgive me if it seemed so abrupt! Time needed to go a bit faster in this story. :D So yeah! I have nothing really else to say, but I hope I wrapped all loose ends. If you do have any questions please let me know.

I was originally going to split this into two but I wanted to stop at 26 chapters, so it's a big mega-chapter. I hope you liked it. I'm a bit fantasied-out. I never wrote stories seriously which contained kings, queens, fights, magic... I'm not usually that type of person but this was a challenging story for me. I was inspired so I wrote and wrote, hence why I was able to write this story in a short period. But I'm burnt out now... I'll still be making stories, but for right now, perhaps a break is needed.

Thanks for all the people who read my story. Especially Grossgirl18 and Oky Verlos who have been reviewing and reading my story since the beginning. I appreciate your support.

My current project now is writing "Innocent until proven guilty" and I am re-writing one of my old (embarrassing) CCS fanfictions. I guess that's what my middle-school me came up with, hehe. Anyway, thank you again!


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